


Tactical Warfare

by SourwolfZiam



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF! everyone, Basically everyone is a soldier, Coup d'état, Family Feels, Happy Ending, Kun/Ten, M/M, NCT is a secret military organization, NeoCity, President's son! Taeyong, Propoganda, Rescues, Secret underground facilities, Soldier! Johnny, The People's Movement is #evil, Violence, Yuta/WinWin - Freeform, alternative universe, so many feelings, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:54:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23014348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SourwolfZiam/pseuds/SourwolfZiam
Summary: "Gentlemen, welcome to the NeoCity war room"Or au where Taeyong totally is (not) the Mockingjay.
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 11
Kudos: 90





	Tactical Warfare

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This has been completed for ages, and I finally got around to editing it!
> 
> Once again, this was written in Carly's (taeyongseo) cc! Check out her work here on ao3, she's amazing.
> 
> Please enjoy!
> 
> PS: Happy "Kick It" release day! Go stream, and lets support NEO ZONE.
> 
> Malikah xx

"I'll take the bed, you take the floor"

"No, I'll take the floor, you take the bed. You have an injury"

"Yong, I'm fine. It's just a graze"

Taeyong swallows at the nickname. Johnny hasn't called him that in 3 years.

"John, don't be stubborn. Just take the bed"

Johnny sighs, "We can both take it. It's big enough, and-"

"No, it's not" Taeyong says bluntly and Johnny shuts up. Taeyong looks down at where a small spot of blood was seeping through Johnny's white shirt.

"You can shower first while I order food. Then I'll tend to your wound"

"You dont have to-"

"John, stop. It wouldn't be my first time patching you up" Taeyong gives a miniscule smile before pulling his bucket hat over his hair and putting on his mask. It was the best disguise he could come up with at the moment.

With a final look at his ex-husband, Taeyong leaves the room.

Johnny sighs, stripping himself of his weapons, before taking off his shirt, winching slightly.

He made sure Taeyong's tracker showed him going to the deli on the corner before going to the bathroom.  
  


-

Taeyong gets back to the motel room in under 15 minutes, making sure the door is locked twice before he relaxes.

He finds Johnny sitting on the bed, calmly wiping at the blood still sluggishly coming from the wound on his side. Luckily the bullet missed anything vital, and he'd only need about 5-6 stitches.

Taeyong ignores the surreality of his ex sitting on a bed half-naked and sets down the paper bag that contains their dinner.

"You ready?" He asks briskly, and Johnny looks up at him for the first time since he entered the room, giving a nod. His hair was damp and curling gently, and his skin was still rosy and flushed from the shower.

Taeyong clears his throat and takes off his bucket hat, mask and the two jackets he put on.

The two of them are silent as Taeyong stitches up the taller man. Johnny doesn’t show the pain he was in (unfortunately they had no pain pills), sitting with his spine straight and his shoulders set.

3 years in the South Korean military, and he became their youngest commander. Taeyong had been at the ceremony held for this momentous moment, sitting next to his mother and trying to breathe past his still bruised-heart. The two men hadn't seen each other since they finalized their divorce; sitting in a room filled with people full of praise for Commander John Suh had been inescapable for the son of the President of South Korea.

Now it's almost a year later and his life has completely fallen apart. His parents were dead, he'd been kept prisoner in his own home's basement by a rebel group for 3 weeks, before Johnny freed him, and now he was on the run.

He and John were on their way to a group called NCT, hoping for protection against the rebels. Taeyong just hoped they got to them alive.

Sighing, he finished bandaging up Johnny, before getting up and unpacking the food.

"I'm sorry about your parents" Johnny says quietly as he accepts the plate of food Taeyong hands him. He's wearing a loose Henley, still sitting on the bed while Taeyong sits in a chair.

A ball of pain pounds through Taeyong before he nods, his eyes down, appetite suddenly gone.

The two men have been trying to evade capture for days now, and this was the first time they've had a chance to really talk. Taeyong still found it hard to believe that he was here with Johnny.

"Thank you" he says, fingers wrapped tightly around his chopsticks. Taeyong would wait until lights out before allowing himself to continue his mourning. For now, he robotically ate his dinner.

Johnny looked at him for a few more seconds before doing the same.

The good thing about being on the run with a (now former) military commander is that you always know to be prepared for anything, at all times.

Taeyong does not unpack the few items of clothing he and Johnny bought and stole along the way since escaping the Presidential House, nor does he bother changing out of his clothes. He sleeps on the floor, at the side of the bed that's closest to the window for a quick escape. Taeyong had reluctantly accepted the pocket knife Johnny pushed into his hands with a soft, “Just in case”.

Taeyong barely just drifted off to sleep when there's the softest rustling at their motel door. He jolts up, his heart in his throat. Although the room was dark, there was enough light filtering through the cheap curtains to give the room a dim glow.

Johnny is immediately alert, giving Taeyong a look and motioning for him to stay down, before quietly getting off the bed, putting on his shoes. He has gun in his hand a second later, smoothly attaching the silencer.

Taeyong makes himself smaller, the bed hiding him well, while clutching onto the bag that holds his current most worldly positions. He hopes he won’t have to use the knife he has clutched in his hand, as he peaks around the edge of the bed to see what’s happening.

The motel door opens without a single creek, and before the first rebel could step in, Johnny shoots them in the head. That's the only thing Taeyong sees before giving a silent scream, closing his eyes. There's the sound of fighting and grunting, and Taeyong bites his lip, trying to not make a sound.

Less than a minute later, he feels someone stand over him and his eyes fly open, swiping his knife around blindly before realizing that it's Johnny. He has a bloody lip and a bruise under his eye, but he was alive.

Taeyong stares at him with wide eyes, too scared to look at the bodies scattered in their room. He wasn't sure if he was going to vomit or not. Johnny has had to kill so much the last few days but it never got easier. Taeyong had thought that being in a motel under a fake name would keep them safe for the night, but now they had to run again.

"Yong, we have to go" Johnny says calmly, and Taeyong nods but stays frozen.

Without hesitation Johnny picks up Taeyong, who is still clutching their bag, throwing him over his shoulder before running towards the door, and in the direction of their car.

-

Johnny doesn't stop driving for an hour, managing to just keep below the speed limit until they're on a deserted road where he floors it. Taeyong has to somehow staunch the blood from the broken sutures that reopened from Johnny’s wound, apologizing when Johnny swears loudly as Taeyong presses hard into it, while simultaneously trying not to freak the fuck out.

They get on a road that leads into an unknown forest, hoping to find somewhere to rest for a few hours. They weren't too far away from the NCT headquarters now.

Johnny stops in front of a lake in the middle of the forest. Taeyong stays in the car, staring at the blood on his hands while Johnny does a sweep of their surroundings.

When he returns to the car, Taeyong stares at him blankly.

"The tracker" he says, getting out of the car, "I think they've hacked the tracker you put in my watch and that's how they know where I am"

Johnny swears again, and Taeyong takes off the watch, handing it to the taller man who crushes it under a rock.

Johnny throws the pieces into the lake. The two of them stare at the water for a few seconds before Johnny groans softly, clutching his side.

"John?" Taeyong says, alarmed at how pale Johnny looks. He grabs at him, but isn't fast enough to catch him as he collapses, "John!"

Johnny had obviously been hiding just how much pain he was in. The lack of sleep and shock from the stitches being done, along with the fight in the motel room was too much for his body.

Taeyong just prevents his head from hitting the ground, making sure Johnny laid down on some softer part of the soil, and not on his injured side.

Taeyong gives a sigh of relief when Johnny's pulse is still strong. The wound was still fine, but Taeyong applies some disinfectant salve again just in case. Once he rebandages the taller man, he manages to drag him into the back of the car where it takes some manoeuvring to lay Johnny comfortably down.

Taeyong brushes the hair off his ex-husband's forehead, wiping some sweat away.

He then quickly washes the blood off his hands, and gets in the car.

Hopefully Johnny stays unconscious until they get to NCT. Hopefully NCT doesn't shoot them on sight before Taeyong could even show who he was. The group was a ghost, unknown to the public. The only reason he knew about them was because the rebels muttered about them while he was suppose to be unconscious in his prison. No one cared about him overhearing them, since he was a harmless threat.

Apparently NCT were supporters of his father, and were working hard to avenge his father’s assassination and get the country back from the rebels. The coup had been quick and ruthless, and Taeyong still reeled from how well-planned and executed it had been.

But it seems like NCT were the rebels’ biggest threats. From what Taeyong heard, the group was ruthless to their enemies. He could only imagine that they wouldn't appreciate a random car showing up to their secret headquarters that Taeyong only knew about because the area was mentioned to be a possible hot zone where NCT operated.

Hopefully Taeyong and Johnny’s identities would gain them access. Hopefully NCT would be where they’re rumoured to be.

Taeyong exits the forest and heads north.

-

Taeyong drives for a long time before he finally finds the small, dusty road he's suppose to turn onto after missing it twice. It looks like no car has gone on it in years, and Taeyong’s hopes get dampened slightly.

Taking a deep breathe, he drives onto the road.

It leads into another forest, one with long trees and animals that go quiet as soon as they hear the car. Taeyong shifts nervously- there are plenty of spots for a sniper to hide, or for someone to simply be watching him. He tries not to look around too much.

Johnny is still unconscious, occasionally making a soft sound but not waking up. Taeyong only stopped once to feed him some water. It was nearly 5am in the morning, and Taeyong was exhausted.

Taeyong drives so deep into the forest that the dense treeline creates complete darkness when he abruptly arrives in front of a small, broken down house. It looks completely uninhabitable, and Taeyong feels a stab of panic.

There was no way this was NCT's hideout; no group could possibly operate in this-

Taeyong feels the barrel of a gun press against his temple.

"What do we have here?" A masculine, smooth voice asks and Taeyong closes his eyes.

-

The sudden shine of a flashlight blinds Taeyong, making him crunch his face as his eyes shut, but a hand grabs his chin harshly to keep his face turned to the driver's side window. Taeyong silently curses that his window was rolled down.

The guy still manages to keep the gun against Taeyong's head.

Suddenly the stranger says something in what sounds like Japanese, and not a second later the flashlight is turned off and the gun is gone.

Taeyong cautiously opens his eyes, looking at the man. He was wearing a black mask that covered his entire face and head, the areas over his eyes and mouth covered with mesh. He was wearing all-black.

"Lee Taeyong" the man says, "You're finally here"

Taeyong blinks, the adrenaline in his body fading now that he wasn't in danger anymore. At least, he thinks this man wasn’t going to kill him.

He can feel his body crashing, the lack of sleep and constant fear catching up on him.

"John" he says, his words slurred, "Help John..."

Before the man could do anything, Taeyong's eyes roll in the back of his head and he passes out.

Taeyong wakes up slowly, blinking before staring at a white ceiling. It was too clean and expensive looking for him to be in that desolate house.

Turning his head, Taeyong sees that he's in a small, sparsely decorated bedroom. Besides the bed he's laying on is a long, thin closet and two doors that are currently closed.

"You're awake" he hears next to him. Startling, Taeyong turns his head to the other side so quickly it spins, and finds a man sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. He was not wearing a mask, and his voice was deeper than the previous man who found Taeyong.

The man's beautiful face is blank of expression as he cleans his nails with a knife, yet his eyes couldn't hide some of the curiosity he had as he looked at Taeyong. He was also wearing all black, his outfit looking tactical.

Taeyong found himself not scared of this stranger, who’s knife and badass look could not hide the softness in his cheeks, and the warmness in his eyes.

"I am" Taeyong says eventuall. He suddenly realizes how thirsty he is as he coughs. The man moves gracefully, producing a bottle of water out of nowhere, which he gently presses against Taeyong's lips. Once his thirst is quenched, Taeyong felt a little better. Speaking of..., "Where's John?"

"Commander Suh is talking to the boss right now. He woke an hour before you, and you both have been out cold for half a day. You must be starving"

Taeyong's relief at hearing that Johnny is okay gets interrupted by the gurgle of his stomach. The man suddenly smiles, revealing deep, pretty dimples that further softens his features.

Taeyong has so many questions to ask, but he could wait until he met this Boss and seen Johnny for himself.

"Come on, I'll take you to the mesh room" The man says, and Taeyong nods, allowing the assistance out of the bed. His mind was much more clearer, and he felt well rested.

"What's your name?" Taeyong asks as they exit the room, walking down an empty, bright corridor.

The man looks at him sideways as he puts his knife back into his pocket, "Jung Jaehyun, Mr Lee"

"Please, call me Taeyong"

Jaehyun nods, flashing another gorgeous smile before looking forward again.

-

Jaehyun and Taeyong turn the first corner into another hallway that leads to a closed set of doors. Taeyong hasn't seen any windows yet.

One of the two doors open up and out walks three men, all wearing the same black uniform like Jaehyun. One was shorter then even Taeyong, with elven, sharp features. The one next to him was taller with perfect, Anime-like features and long hair. The third guy was the tallest with fine, porcelain features and a graceful walk.

Taeyong was starting to think that you had to be gorgeous to join NCT.

"Sleeping Beauty finally awoke" the shortest man drawls as they pass each other, looking at Taeyong with a slight smile. Taeyong blushes and looks away from that sharp, clever gaze.

"Easy, Ten" Jaehyun says, who gives a quick laugh.

"Tell me if I have to stay with you guys in case Mr Lee decides to pass out again" the one in the middle says, throwing a blinding smile over his shoulder as Taeyong looked up at the familiar voice. Before he could say anything, the three men turn the corner and are gone.

"They're just teasing" Jaehyun says gently, and Taeyong nods as they reach the doors.

Jaehyun opens the same door the three men exited from, keeping it open for Taeyong to enter first.

The room the two men enter in is obviously a mesh room, filled with long tables for people to sit and eat at. There's a corner that has couches and chairs with a TV mounted onto the wall. It looked like a comfortable and well-used room.

There were still no windows visible, and the walls were filled with picture frames or posters, all too random and mismatched for Taeyong to fully take in individually at the moment.

The room was currently empty, but by the amount of tables there were, NCT had to have atleast 20-30 members.

Jaehyun walks to one of the door on the opposite side of the room and Taeyong sees that it has a sign that says "Kitchen" before the door is opened and the men step through.

There were 2 people inside sitting by the center island table, both looking up when Taeyong and Jaehyun walk in.

Relief courses through Taeyong when he sees that one of them in Johnny. He looked much better, colour back in his cheeks. Taeyong returned the small smile the taller man gives him as he gets up, walking towards him.

"You're awake" Johnny says softly and Taeyong nods.

"I am. Are you feeling better?" He asks, and Johnny nods this time.

The two men continue looking at each other for a few more seconds. Taeyong didn't know what to do now that he knew Johnny was safe. Someone behind Johnny clears their throat. Johnny steps aside, revealing a tall man with a long, oval face. He looked oddly like a bunny, but he was undoubtedly handsome.

The man extends his hand, which Taeyong immediately takes and shakes.

"Lee Taeyong, I'm glad you're here" the man says, "My name is Kim Doyoung. I'm the leader of NCT"

"Thank you for helping us, Mr Kim" Taeyong says immediately, and the other man nods before giving a full 90° for a few seconds before straightening his spine again.

"My sincerest condolences on the death of your parents. Your father was a great man" Mr Kim says and Taeyong feels a lump in his throat as he returns the bow.

"Thank you" Taeyong says softly, and sits next to Johnny when Doyoung gestures for him and Jaehyun to join the table.

-

While eating cold noodles and strips of steak, Kim Doyoung tells Taeyong about the NCT organization and how it was formed under Taeyong's father.

"My father?" Taeyong asks, putting his chopsticks down as he stares at Doyoung, who nods.

"He needed an elite, top-secret group that could do assignments for him that even the South Korean most top military men wouldn't get clearance for" the leader says, and Taeyong glances at Johnny, who is listening with an impassive look on his face. Something told Taeyong that he’d known nothing about this as well, "We found out about this coup too late. For them to have planned this without us being aware of it shows just how dangerous they are. My biggest regret is getting there too late..."

Doyoung trails off and Taeyong looks down at his hands.

"But how did the rebels know about you? The only reason I found about NCT was because of them talking about it near where I was kept" Taeyong says after a few seconds of sombre silence. He couldn't wallow in his grief right now, "Do you think there's a leak in NCT?"

"There isn't. Those weren't rebels talking" Jaehyun says with a slight smile. When both Taeyong and Johnny looked at him in confusion, Jaehyun elaborates, "When your parents were assassinated at the Presidential House and you were taken prisoner, our first priority was to get to you. We found out where exactly you were kept after a week, and managed to get some members into the rebel group, deep cover. When it was safe, they made sure to get the same guard shift and leaked the information about NCT, and where they ‘suspected’ the location of our headquarters was"

Taeyong was impressed. It seemed too accidental that he found out about them, but this whole time it was planned out.

Johnny wasn't impressed.

"So why didn’t you come and get us as soon as I got Taeyong out?" He asks with a clenched jaw, and Doyoung raises his brow, "Why did we have to go through 5 days of fighting for our lives to get here?"

"We were the ones who leaked the information to you regarding his location" Doyoung says calmly, "We knew you would get him out. You're a military man, one of the best, so we expected that you'd be able to do your job. We can’t risk any member getting caught or the group being exposed right now"

Johnny glared at Doyoung, "He almost died every single day"

Taeyong opens his mouth, ready to calm Johnny down. Taeyong wasn’t the one who got shot and bruised up, so he didn't know why Johnny was so upset on his behalf. He also didn't want to insult the leader, but Doyoung spoke before Taeyong could diffuse the situation.

"But you didn't" Doyoung says, "You did what you were meant to do. You're both alive and safe. Is there any other problem you want to address, Commander, or can we get back to business?"

Johnny says nothing for a few seconds before nodding.

"Good" Doyoung says and giving Jaehyun a look, they both get up.

Taeyong and Johnny follow them out of the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Taeyong asks softly and Johnny looks down at him as they walk back through at mesh room. He nods once and Taeyong lets it go.

The two of them walk behind Kim Doyoung and Jaehyun, keeping quiet as they make their way through a maze of corridors. There were still no windows. Taeyong asked why.

"Our headquarters are underground. It's easier to hide and defend. Your father made sure of it. You'll be given a tour of the facility tomorrow" Kim Doyoung says and Taeyong nods. Johnny's eyes were sweeping around, taking everything in with a critical gaze, but he seemed to find nothing to critique.

The four men walked past rooms where they could hear voices and abruptly stopped in front of another set of double doors.

Doyoung looked over his shoulder at them.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the NeoCity war room"

The war room is twice the size of the mesh room, making Taeyong wonder just how big the NCT headquarters really are. His father truly put a lot of hard work into this group.

There are rows of computers and the walls are filled with screens. In the center of the room is a large, flat table that shows an honest-to-God hologram with moving images. Taeyong is sure his mouth is hanging wide open as he watches someone easily move the images and what seems to be files around in mid-air.

When people notice the four men enter, everyone stops what they're doing and gets up, giving a sharp salute which Doyoung, Jaehyun and even Johnny returns.

Taeyong waves awkwardly.

"At ease" Doyoung says and everyone goes back to their computer screens.

Doyoung and Jaehyun walks towards the hologram where 5 men are standing around the table. Three of them are the men Taeyong saw earlier, standing with a stranger while the 5th one is wearing the rebel group's uniform. Taeyong feels a jolt of fear go through him and he cringes behind Johnny, who straightens to his full-length, body in fight mode.

The others notice their reactions. While Jaehyun exits the war room through one of the many doors, Doyoung stands next to the 5 men.

"Lee Taeyong, Commander Suh" Doyoung says, pointing to each man as he introduces them one by one, "This is Master Sergeant Nakamoto Yuta, First Commander Ten Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, Master Sergeant Dong Sicheng, Special Analyst Moon Taeil and this..."

Doyoung indicates the man in the rebels uniform, who is watching Taeyong and Jaehyun with a slight smile before stepping forward and giving a quick bow, "Command Sergeant Major Qian Kun, sirs" he says, revealing a pleasant, warm voice.

"Kun is in charge when I'm not around" Doyoung says seriously, "I only trusted him and Sergeant Kim to infiltrate the rebel group and do this job. I assure you there is nothing to fear"

Taeyong finds himself trusting Command Sergeant Kun's eyes and he nods.

The 8 men stand around the table and discuss the latest information Kun got from the rebels. They mostly spoke in code and jargon Taeyong didn't understand, but it mostly seemed like the rebels were trying to discredit Taeyong's father and use propaganda to justify the executions and coup. They were then attempting to organize a new election, which would then get rigged and allow their leader, Special Commander Choi, to become president of South Korea. The country was on the brink of revolting, but the propaganda and the brute force of the rebels were slowing the public down. Outside help was being blocked.

The country only had NCT.

-

The meeting lasts for an hour before Doyoung lets them go. The analyst team remains in the war room, doing their monitoring and hacking, while everyone else leaves to switch shifts with the next team.

The group of 7 men leave together, heading towards the living quarters. According to Doyoung it was nearly 2am. They just turn the first corner when a group of men walk in their direction. Two were focusing on something on the tablet screen the tallest was holding between them, while the other 6 were geared up as if they were going out on a mission. The group of men salute them, and keeps walking past.

"They're part of our Ghost Squad, also known as our Dream division, who go out and do our spy work or gather information if our analyst team cannot get it electronically. They're some of the youngest and best members we have" Doyoung explains to Johnny and Taeyong.

They reach the living quarters and one by one everyone enters their rooms after a salute to Doyoung. Yuta and Sicheng go into a room together, where Taeyong only peaks one bed. Kun and Ten go into another room together. Johnny reaches his room first, and he gives Taeyong the barest smile before entering.

Turns out Taeyong is his neighbor as they stop by the door next to Johnny's. He looks at Doyoung, who smiles at him. It was very disarming.

"I thought you two might want to stay close to each other" he says and Taeyong blushes but says nothing.

"Goodnight, Sergeant Major" Taeyong says, standing in his doorway.

Doyoung inclines his head.

"Goodnight, Mr Lee" he returns before turning smartly, and walking off.

Taeyong closes his door and walks to the wall that separates him from Johnny.

They were safe now. They had help.

They... they weren't friends or even really only speaking basis. The last few days was purely for survival. It had been the first time they were alone together in 4 years. The last time they were alone Johnny destroyed his heart.

Remember that pain, Taeyong thinks harshly. He couldn't afford to fall for John again. They couldn't go back to what they were.

John chose the army over him. He must have never loved him. Not really if he could so easily hand over those papers.

Taeyong swallows and opens the second door, revealing an en-suite.

He takes a shower, hoping his thoughts could get drowned out.

He didn't love John anymore.

Taeyong ignored how much of a lie that was.

-

The following morning Taeyong just finishes getting dressed (the clothes they came with and a few more back clothing and basic items supplied by NCT, were placed in the closet) when there's a knock on his door.

He opens the door to find Johnny and Jaehyun standing there.

"Ready for your tour?" Jaehyun asks and Taeyong nods

Taeyong walks next to Jaehyun while Johnny follows behind. They start by the living quarters.

There were about 25 rooms, all of them with an en-suite. They were spread out with 5 rooms in a section with 1 kitchenette attached to share. Most NCT members share a room with someone else.

With the facility being underground, they had a high-tech air filtering system that was pumping fresh air from above. It was well-hidden throughout the forest, but there were still guards posted at strategic points on the outside to prevent any threat to the facility and their air supply.

Along with a mesh room, the facility also had a rec room with games, more TV sets and a bigger lounge area. Since it was the morning, the room was empty.

Jaehyun then shows them one of the 5 weapons rooms of the facility. Johnny looks around with interest, impressed at the wide arsenal NCT had. He and Jaehyun spoke shop, Taeyong utterly confused but not feeling the need to understand. All he knew was that they were well-stocked. There were a few people in the weapons room, who mostly ignored them after saluting Jaehyun and Johnny. The occasional look of awe or admiration was still thrown to Johnny, so he must be popular here.

Taeyong couldn't blame them. What Johnny did at the military in such a short span even impressed him.

Jaehyun then went on to show them the exit points in the facility. They had a deep underground panic room ready in case of an attack, able to withstand even a nuclear strike.

They passed the mesh room where the sound of breakfast being eaten could be heard. Their final stop was the offices where the high ranking members worked.

Kun was just exiting his office as they passed by, two women leaving with him.

Taeyong was surprised- so far he's only seen men, but it was refreshing to see that that was obviously not just the case. Kun and the two women saluted them, which Johnny and Jaehyun returned.

Kun introduced First Sergeant Kang Seulgi and Lieutenant Commander Park Sooyoung. It seems like Lieutenant Commander Park and Johnny knew each other from her former military days, since Johnny called her 'Joy' and Taeyong watched in interest as they interacted. It was clear how much Johnny missed the military just by how quickly he fell into a familiar camaraderie with the Lieutenant Commander.

Taeyong has been feeling a little guilty since Johnny rescued him. It put a target on his back and now he couldn't return to his former life. He was probably declared MIA and prosecution by the military was awaiting him.

All this for Taeyong.

Why?

Johnny could have given this information over to the military and they could have rescued Taeyong. But the military was also being rather slow with helping sort out this rebel situation, which makes Taeyong think that they're not to be trusted. And if Taeyong was thinking that, then Johnny definitely was, meaning that he had strong reasons for not asking their help. And that must hurt him so much.

So Taeyong doesn't ask Johnny why he came for him, and they go on with their lives.

But there was someone he needed to ask questions to.

"Do you have any questions?" Jaehyun asks, and Johnny asks if he could see the weapons room again. Jaehyun smiles and nods.

"Is Sergeant Major Kim available for a quick consultation?" Taeyong asks, and Jaehyun goes and checks.

Being alone with Johnny, Taeyong opens his mouth but doesn't know what to say. They wait in silence.

Jaehyun returns and says that Sergeant Major Kim has 10 minutes to spare.

That's all Taeyong needed.

-

Jaehyun directs Taeyong to where he would find Doyoung's office, and when he gets there he knocks on the door.

A few seconds later the door opens, revealing Doyoung. The two men share a quick bow before Doyoung allows Taeyong to enter the room. His office isn't too big, with just enough space to hold his desk and bookshelves comfortably. There's a wall just dedicated to weapons that the Sergeant Major has obviously spent a long time collecting, and a couch in the corner.

Taeyong sits in the chair across from Doyoung's desk, and declines the offer of a cup of coffee.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Lee?" the leader asks, and Taeyong blushes. He's never been one for formality.

"Please, it's only Taeyong" he says and Doyoung smiles, inclining his head, "And I'm just here to... I don't know, I guess I'm just curious as to why NCT wanted me rescued?"

Doyoung looks at him quietly for a few seconds, before answering, "Do you know why some of the greatest revolutions and wars in history have happened, Taeyong?"

Confused, Taeyong only shakes his head.

"The reason why people are willing to fight and die for a cause is because they have a figure that inspires them, whether one that inspires unity or revolt. If people have someone who can be their catalyst for change, that's half of the war won. Propaganda is as important as the guns used to fight. You can be that face the public needs to finally gain courage and move against the rebels"

"Me? Why?" Taeyong asks, utterly lost. What did he possibly have that could inspire millions of people to revolt against a violent organization that's infiltrated their government?

Doyoung leans forward, his eyes never leaving Taeyong.

"Because you are your father's son".

Taeyong blinks at Doyoung.

"My father's son? How is that important?" He asks and Doyoung gives another smile leaning back in his chair.

"Your father was a beloved man and the best President this nation ever had. You're his son, you carry his beauty, grace and popularity with the people. And I've heard you give speeches: you move those who hear you"

Taeyong's ears are burning and he looks down at his eyes, feeling shy. Doyoung said all that in a serious voice as if he was stating facts; it was all very flustering.

"So you want me to give speeches? And not fight?" Taeyong asks, because his thoughts had gone to the latter when Doyoung mentioned that he could be a catalyst for this fight.

Doyoung shakes his head, "No, we do the fighting. You'll be the face of this revolution. You'll be a light to the Korean people, and act as their source of strength as this struggle goes on. We've learned from other and most modern forms of fighting. No citizen will take up arms when the internet and social media is available, reaching millions and hurting whatever narrative the rebels are weaving. That will be their weapon"

"And you want me to be the face of the people's fight?" Taeyong asks and Doyoung nods, grinning suddenly.

"Those eyes of yours will win us the war" Doyoung says, and Taeyong's cheeks redden.

There's a short silence before Doyoung asks if Taeyong has had breakfast yet.

-Taeyong and Doyoung reach the hallway that reaches the mesh room when Taeyong asks the second question he's been burning to ask.

"Master Sergeant Kim" he starts, looking ahead at he walks. Despite it being a top secret military facility with very dangerous people, the Neocity headquarters was very bright and cheerful. There were pictures, plants and art everywhere. It made Taeyong more comfortable much quicker.

"Doyoung, please"

"Doyoung" Taeyong amends, "Why... Why did you pick John to rescue me? It could have been anyone else, equally as capable"

"Equally as capable" Doyoung agrees, "But no one else would have worked harder to keep you alive than him"

Taeyong keeps his eyes averted as he feels his heart squeeze.

"You know that we were married" he says softly, and Doyoung gives a "Mm", "We divorced years ago. In fact, he divorced me. How did you know he would even want to save me?"

"Because he's a good man that would save anyone being kept against their will. Because he's one of the best and deadliest soldier I have ever seen. Because he loves you"

"He doesn't" Taeyong says harshly, and immediately gives Doyoung an apologetic glance before saying in a gentler voice, "He doesn't".

Doyoung says nothing to that, and merely hums as he pushes open the double doors, allowing Taeyong to enter first.

-

The mesh room is full of men and women in uniforms eating their breakfast. There were about 15 altogether, but Taeyong was told that the members are almost never all together since half was always on monitoring or scouting duties.

The room immediately goes quiet upon Doyoung's arrival before everyone gets up and gives a sharp salute to their leader.

"At ease" Doyoung says, before gesturing to Taeyong, "Team, this is Lee Taeyong. He and Commander Suh joined us yesterday, and I'm sure you'll always make them feel welcome"

Everyone gives Taeyong a deep bow, before sitting down and going back to breakfast. Doyoung leads Taeyong to the kitchen where they fill their platters with a bowl of rice porridge, toast and sliced fruit.

They sit down at a table with Jaehyun, Johnny, Ten and two men that Taeyong does not know.

"Sergeant Kim Jungwoo and Ranger Huang Xuxi" Doyoung introduces. Both men give Taeyong their condolences to his parents' death, which he accepts with a nod of the head.

Sergeant Kim turns out to be the second man who was undercover with Kun in the rebels' group. They eat their breakfast and one by one everyone leaves the table. Doyoung wants Taeyong to join him in the war room today to begin the propaganda campaign.

Before Taeyong could get up and leave, Johnny gently places a hand over his briefly to get his attention. Taeyong's hand tingles where Johnny touched him.

"Can we talk?" Johnny asks softly.

Taeyong stares at him for a few seconds before nodding.

Taeyong sits down with Johnny again, who seems to be waiting until everyone has left the mesh room before he starts talking. Doyoung smiles and says he'll wait outside before closing the double doors, leaving the two men completely alone.

Taeyong sinks into himself, looking at his hands. He can hear Johnny draw his breathe a few times to talk but he doesn't say anything. Eventually Taeyong looks up at him, and finds the taller man staring at his face as if he's busy memorizing it.

Taeyong blinks then straightens, "I have somewhere to be John, so can you make this quick?"

Johnny nods, "Sorry, I was just gathering my thoughts. I just wanted to talk about... us, I guess"

Taeyong raises a brow, "Us?"

"Yes, I want us to try and become friends, Yong" Johnny says, those eyes stupidly wide and earnest.

Taeyong keeps his expression still.

"We have been through so much these last few days, and since we'll be seeing and working with each other every day, I think things will be better if we can work towards friendship. Or even just acquaintances"

Taeyong feels like he's going to be sick. After everything they've been through the last few -days-? Did all those years together not count? Fucking acquaintances would satisfy him?

Taeyong gets up. He doesn't know why he's so angry, but he needs to get away from his ex-husband.

"Friends sound good" He says robotically, and before his expression could betray him, he turns and walks towards the doors, "And dont call me Yong. That's reserved for family and my partner"

Johnny doesn't say anything as Taeyong leaves.

-

Taeyong regrets his behaviour as soon as he leaves the mesh room and is walking with Doyoung to the war room.

He could have handled that better- Johnny was only trying to make the strange situation between them more civil, yet Taeyong acted like a teenager who got rejected by his crush.

Taeyong wants to be friends with Johnny. He wants to be comfortable around him.

He just... how does he achieve that with someone he still loves after all these years, yet still felt hurt and resentment towards?

Taeyong closes his eyes briefly and sighs. Luckily Doyoung doesn't ask him what's wrong.

It's maybe time that- no, it's definitely time that Taeyong dealt with these feelings. He needed final closure with Johnny. Maybe friendship could be on the horizons for them.

Taeyong first needed to get the answers he's been asking himself for years. Johnny wasn't away at the military anymore, and Taeyong wasn’t in a bubble of heartbreak.

Taeyong knew what he needed for him to move on.

-

Taeyong spends the next few days in the war room, preparing for the first attack of propaganda against the rebels.

He is grateful that Moon Taeil and his team are so patient with him, since it takes a long time to get used to cyber warfare and how to use your words as a weapon. There are pictures taken of him holding signs telling citizens to stay strong and not let the rebels see them weakening. He makes videos where he tells them about secret meeting places and how to communicate online without detection.

It was all long hours and hard work.

Taeyong doesn't see Johnny for almost a week. He tries not to think about it.

By the time Friday comes, marking the 6th day that Taeyong and Johnny arrived at NCT, there's a decent amount of propaganda material to use. The first online attack would start the next day. Taeyong decides to have dinner in the mesh room for the first time in a while, and walks in with Jaehyun. He's gotten to know the younger man, and they were on their way to becoming friends. Everyone in NCT were friendly, but Taeyong especially liked Taeil, Jaehyun, Yuta, WinWin and Ten. When he saw them, they always asked him how he was doing, and worked to make him feel comfortable.

Taeyong was late for dinner but he's sure the kitchen would keep his meal aside. He's enters the mesh room and blinks as Johnny and a squad of NCT members are exiting, all of them wearing tactical gear, with a helmet and a gun strapped to their sides.

"Taeyong" Johnny says, seeming surprised to see him, and Taeyong blushes. He's been hoping to speak to Johnny, but also been almost glad that the war room has kept him busy.

"John" he replies, "Are you going out?"

Johnny nods stepping aside to let the rest of the squad pass him, "Since the propaganda campaign starts tomorrow in Seoul, Master Sergeant Kim wants a team to be situated around the city and ensure the safety of the citizens"

"That's a good idea" Taeyong says, his stomach gnawing on worry about Johnny being out on duty, "Are you all leaving right now?"

Johnny nods again and smiles, "I should be back in a week. I want us to talk about what I said to you a few days ago. It seemed like you were upset when I suggested we become friends?"

"No, not upset" Taeyong says immediately, and Johnny seems to visibly relax. He takes a deep breath. "I think I've been doing both of us a disservice by keeping some thoughts and feelings I've had for days and even years now to myself. I want us to become friends, but we need to have a long-overdue talk. But we'll do that when you get back, okay?"

"Okay" Johnny says softly, resting his hand briefly on Taeyong's shoulder before giving him a sharp salute.

The two of them look at each other for a few more seconds before Johnny leaves.

Taeyong watches him walk away.

-

Taeyong, Doyoung and Kun sit in the war room as Taeil sends out the first batches of propaganda onto the internet. The first was social media posts letting the world know that Taeyong was alive and ready to fight against the rebels that killed his parents. The second post officially announced NCT as an organization that will help Taeyong and the people of Korea to get back their country.

They leave it at that: the following day would be dedicated to sharing the codes that will officially be used amongst the citizens when communicating with NCT and starting the online campaign against the rebels.

Taeyong watches in amazement as he starts trending on Twitter and other sites within seconds, gratified by him still being alive visibly reinvigorate and give them Korean population motive to fight, if only to bring justice to his father.

Doyoung and Kun share a low high-five, and Taeyong gives them both a smile.

"Tomorrow you'll go live, and give a message to the people. I want them to hear you and see you. You’ll tell them that you appreciate their support and will to challenge the rebels; this will give them more courage" Kun says, and Taeyong nods.

He hesitates.

"Do you think there will be trouble in the streets? Will the squad you sent out today have to interfere?" Taeyong asks, focusing on the ring he's wearing on his thumb. It's his father's that he got years ago.

"We don't know. Nothing about this group is predictable. But I'd rather be safe than sorry" Doyoung says and Taeyong nods.

He doesn't say anything else, leaving the men sitting at the Hologram table to go to Mark and Haechan, Taeil's prodigies who would help him with his speech for tomorrow.

Everything will be fine, Taeyong thinks as he watches Mark and Haechan bickering.

He- the squad will be fine.

-

Taeyong nervously stands infront of the camera, trying not to touch his hair that Ten spent 10 minutes getting perfectly gelled. The Thai man seemed to get great pleasure in making Taeyong presentable, even borrowing him some earrings to wear.

"I'd fight a war just for this face" he drawls as he finishes up, pinching Taeyong's pinkened cheek before stepping behind the camera where Doyoung, Taeil, Jaehyun and the twins (or that's what he's been calling Mark and Haechan) were standing.

"We're live in 5,4,3," Mark mouths "2, 1" before the light on the camera goes red. Taeyong swallows, before delivering his message to the Korean population, once again reassuring them of his well-being. He spoke about NCT being an organization his father form who would ensure that the country was back in the hands of the citizens and not a terror group.

He gave a brief eulogy to his parents (it was Mark's idea to work on the sympathy of the people) and then did a bow for them, even shedding a few tears. Ten put some glitter under his eyes and cheeks so that the tears would shine prettily.

Once he said his goodbyes, Taeil sent out the codes. Taeyong wiped off the makeup, taking a moment to himself to gather himself again.

When he returns to the war room, everyone is staring at a single screen. Taeyong joins them and blinks at the scene in front of him: people were live streaming online citizens bowing in the streets in front of a huge poster of Taeyong's parents, obviously making a statement to the rebels as they publically mourn the death of their President. Another screen reveals tweets of Koreans talking about his parents, commemorating them as leaders and philanthropists.

It was deeply touching.

Then it all went sideways, really quickly.

Taeyong watches helplessly as rebels suddenly descent on the people, forcing them to get up and burning the poster. He gasps as a young man tries to fight back but he gets hit on the head, before a gun gets pointed at him.

"Squad 942, make your way to Ginmeng square, over" Doyoung demands into a radio.

"We'll be there soon, Master Sergeant, over" Taeyong hears Yuta say, and he watches with wide eyes as the squad suddenly shows up onscreen, all of them wearing masks, weapons out. He swears softly as he sees that despite the element of surprise, the rebels still outnumber them, Johnny's tall shape stuck between three rebels.

-

Taeyong starts breathing more easily when he sees just how well-trained the NCT squad are as they swiftly take down the rebels. On the other screen the videos of the fight gets shared all over social media with Koreans cheering for the squad, and NCT trending with Taeyong.

None of the rebels get killed, but they are knocked unconscious and tied up, their weapons disposed. Taeyong even gives a low whistle at how Yuta drop-kicks two people at the same time.

The citizens are cleared from the scene and encouraged to go home. The ones shakily live-streaming the whole thing are also advised to return home and not linger.

Taeyong smiles when Doyoung sends the squad a radio to praise their quick and efficient work. The livestreams were ending and there was only one still going, but that was only because the young woman wanted to gush about the men in black who saved them.

His eyes are just sliding away from the screen when more rebels suddenly show up in a black truck. Taeyong stares, frozen in shock, as the screen gets filled by the men. They were even more than ones currently tied up.

He stares even as Doyoung shouts into the radio that the squad needed to retreat! Now!

He stares as Johnny runs to the young woman still livestreaming, yelling at her to run into the building behind her.

He stares as three bullets rip into Johnny, who pitches forward from the impact.

He screams along with the young woman, who drops her phone.

-

"Get out of there now!" Doyoung shouts, not waiting for a response as he runs out of the war room, yelling down the hall that the medic room needed to be prepared for an emergency situation.

Taeyong doesn't move as Kun takes over radio duty, getting updates from Yuta, who confirms they've gotten the civilians out of harm’s way, and managed to get away from the scene by throwing some grenades and smoke bombs at the rebels.

Yuta informs them that Johnny was shot in the back, head and neck. Luckily the bullet proof uniform and helmet protected the first two areas. However...

"The bullet is lodged in his neck, Sir!" Yuta says over the sound of a moving car, "We're trying to staunch the bleeding, but he'll need immediate surgery. Commander Suh will also need blood as soon as we arrive. We'll be at headquarters in under five minutes. Over!"

"Taeil-" Kun says, turning, but the Special Analyst is already calling down to the medic room, relaying Yuta's message.

Taeyong feels someone touch his hand, and stares blindly at Ten.

"You can’t retreat into yourself right now, Taeyong" he says gently but firmly, squeezing Taeyong's hand, "He'll need you now more than ever"

Taeyong nods, swallowing hard and tries hard not to cry or throw up, "We're the same blood type"

Ten gives him a small smile, "Let's get you to the medic room then"

Ten gives a quick salute to Kun, and doesn't let go of Taeyong's hand as they leave the room.

Taeyong was sitting in of the two huge medic wards, blindly staring at the opposite wall as he gave blood, when the sound of screaming, running feet and wheels moving over the floor hits him.

His head whips to the open doors just as a team of people rush in, a gurney in the center getting wheeled to the furthest end of the room, on the opposite where Taeyong was sitting.

His eyes widen at the amount of blood covering the squad members before his gaze fell onto Johnny. A terrible, pained sound escapes Taeyong as he sees the state that his ex-husband is in.

Johnny managed to look small on the gurney, body shaking as he gets transferred onto the hospital bed. His face is covered in blood, and a stack of gauze was being held against his neck by Yuta.

Someone switches the full blood bag attached to Taeyong with an empty one, and he hardly notices as he stares at Johnny. His upper body gets stripped to bare skin, and he was already receiving the blood transfusion as the doctors worked on his neck, trying to staunch the blood while preparing him for surgery.

Doyoung enters the ward and orders the squad out before he talks to one of the doctors. The squad all give Taeyong a look of sympathy as they file out one by one.

Taeyong numbly takes the energy drink that Ten puts in his hand, drinking without tasting anything. He drains the can, another one replacing it.

"You're losing blood as well, so drink" Ten demands and Taeyong sighs, but nods.

He was so focused on Johnny, that he sees the moment Johnny's eyes groggily open up.

Then Johnny screams.

Taeyong starts sobbing as he begs the doctors to take Johnny's pain away, watching as his ex is held down in order not to worsen his injury, getting wheeled out of the room at the same time. The doctors weren't finished prepping him, nor locating the exact spot in his neck where the bullet was, but they needed to operate as soon as possible now that Johnny woke up, his agitation increasing the staunch of blood leaving his body.

Ten gently wraps his arms around Taeyong, both comforting him and holding him back from running after Johnny. The older man sobs into the front of the Thai man's shirt.

-

Taeyong gives one more bag of blood before he is let out of the hospital. He wants to go down to the surgery ward, but Ten says he'll only be in the way, before getting led to the mesh room.

He sits at one of the tables, weak from donating blood and trying not to think about the terrible scream Johnny let out. Ten brings him two more energy drinks, a bottle of water and a salad. He eats and drinks on command, staring at the table and nodding every few minutes as Ten talks to him.

Doyoung joins them half an hour later, joining Taeyong and Ten at the table with a soft sigh.

"He's still in surgery" the leader says, "The surgeon just found the bullet and they need at least an hour to work around the muscle and veins it's stuck between before they can attempt to remove it. If they can even take it out. It's all touch and go at the moment. I'm sorry"

Taeyong nods numbly, pressing his lips together to stop from whimpering, before getting up. He doesn't know where he wants to go, but he needs to leave.

Taeyong blindly walks out of the mesh room, and walks down the hallways.

He knows Ten is behind him but the Thai man says nothing.

Taeyong eventually finds his way back to his room and walks passed it, stopping in front of Johnny's. He turns to Ten.

"Please, I need- I" his voice is shaking and his vision gets blurry with tears, but Taeyong can see Ten nod. A few seconds later Johnny's door gets opened, and Taeyong walks through it, kicking off his shoes before laying on his ex-husband's bed, curling up into a ball. He takes one of the pillows and holds it against his face, breathing in the familiar scent.

"I'll be outside if you need me" Ten says softly and Taeyong nods, waiting until the door in closed before he closes his eyes.

-

Taeyong lays on Johnny's bed for hours, alternating between short naps and praying. He only knows time is passing because of the small clock on Johnny's side table that he occasionally stares at.

Johnny's pillow is resting between his arms, and he gently presses his nose against it every few minutes, the smell of home grounding Taeyong whenever he feels like he's losing himself.

Three hours pass when there's a soft knock on the door before it opens to reveal Ten and Doyoung. Taeyong forces himself to sit up and wipe his tears away as Ten sits on the edge of the bed, gently touching his ankle.

"He's out of surgery" Ten says, tightening his hold when Taeyong immediately wants to jump up, "The bullet is still in him, but the doctors managed to stop the bleeding and fix the arteries and veins around it. His body has been through too much trauma to operate on for too long, so they had to stop for now. They will do another surgery tomorrow morning"

Taeyong blinks, "But the bullet, will they be able to get it out?"

"They'll try" Doyoung says gently, "But if they can’t, then the doctors will ensure that it doesn't affect Commander Suh negatively. People walk around with bullets in them all the time"

Taeyong nods, his head in his hands as he processes the news. He feels a hand gently pat his shoulder.

"Johnny should be waking up in the next hour from the anesthesia" He hears Doyoung say, and after a few seconds, the two men leave him alone again.

Taeyong feels himself breathe again.

He's still alive.

He's still alive.

Taeyong eventually gets up to take a quick shower before he goes down to the recovery ward.

-

Taeyong is sitting outside the recovery ward, jiggling his leg and twisting his fingers in his lap, when the ward's double doors open.

Jaemin, a sniper who also apparently works part-time as a nurse, comes out and gives Taeyong a small smile.

"Commander Suh will awaken soon, Mr. Lee. Why don’t you come in?"

Taeyong manages to smiles at the younger man as he passes him, before his breathe catches as he sees Johnny laying on one of the five beds in the ward. There are tubes seemingly stuck into every inch of his arms, and his neck is wrapped in a thick brace.

The machines monitoring his vitals are beeping softly and his heart-rate monitor is steady.

Taeyong takes a single, deep breath before walking closer.

"Mr. Lee" he hears behind him and turns to see Dr. Do standing there, a chart in his hand. Taeyong immediately straightens his shoulders: he always felt like Dr. Do found him lacking, but he supposes that’s just how the doctor naturally looked.

"How is he doing, doctor?" he asks and Dr. Do joins him by Johnny's bedside.

"His condition is uncertain with the bullet still inside him. It could move at any time and do more damage, but we're monitoring him closely for that. The spot where the bullet hit his back and head are bruised, so that will need time to heal. For now Commander Suh needs as much rest as possible, and then we'll operate again tomorrow morning. His throat is swollen so he's unable to speak at the moment, but I'm sure he'll appreciate a visitor once he wakes up"

With that, the doctor gives a quick nod of the head before leaving.

Taeyong shudders at the thought of the bullet moving before pushing it out of his thoughts. He takes a seat next to Johnny's bed, and gently takes his hand in his. Taeyong has forgotten how much tinier his hand is compared to the taller man's.

"Don’t you dare die, John Suh" Taeyong says, gently brushing his thumb over Johnny's knuckles, "You fight this. You fight for your family. For your country that needs you more than ever. Fight for me"

Tears fall down Taeyong's cheeks, and he brushes a kiss against Johnny's cheek.

"If you die I will kill you" he murmurs, resting his forehead on Johnny's stomach, still gripping his hand, "I still need to yell at you, so you better survive this"

Taeyong stays like this for a long time until he feels Johnny shift under him.

-

Johnny manages to give a soft sigh as his eyes flutter open, looking around groggily before his gaze falls on Taeyong.

Taeyong starts crying again as Johnny's eyes visibly soften at the sight of the shorter man before he weakly squeezes Taeyong's hand.

"Please don’t die" Taeyong whimpers, and when Johnny opens his mouth, trying to speak, he shakes his head, "No, you can’t speak. You're throat is swelled"

Johnny blinks slowly but he doesn't try to speak again. He closes his eyes again, visibly weakened by the smallest actions. Taeyong sniffles softly, running his eyes over Johnny's face.

"Please never scare me like that again" Taeyong says gently. When Johnny smiles softly and manages to give a single nod, Taeyong resumes his earlier position of resting his forehead on Johnny's stomach.

They never let go of each other's hand.

-

Dr. Do has to stare Taeyong down for taking a long time leaving the ward.

"Mr. Lee, you will see Commander Suh tomorrow afternoon after his surgery" Dr. Do says dryly and Taeyong eventually, reluctantly nods, giving Johnny's hand one final squeeze before getting up, leaving after a small smile to Johnny, who was asleep.

Taeyong goes to the mesh room where he makes himself a sandwich in the kitchen. He eats it slowly, not tasting anything.

When he's finished he returns to his room, locking his door before sliding down to the floor, trying to breathe past pain of the last few hours crashing over him.

He’d tried not to show how much Johnny's injury truly affected him, but now that he knew Johnny was alive, he'll allow himself one quick freakout. A full shudder runs through him and he leans his head between his legs, trying to breathe.

"Please let Johnny be fine" Taeyong prays softly, "Look over him through his surgery tomorrow morning. Please, please, please"

Taeyong doesn't say anything but "please" for a long time, waiting until his breathing eases before getting up on shaky legs.

There's a knock on his door, and Taeyong wipes away his tears before opening it.

Ten is standing there, smiling as he holds up a bag of popcorn.

"Want to watch Charlie's Angels?" he asks, and Taeyong almost smiles as he nods, following the Thai man as he walks to the recc room.

Ten loops his arm around Taeyong's, "I've got a bottle of wine stored away"

Taeyong does smile this time, pulling Ten closer to him as they walk side by side.

-

Taeyong wakes up the following morning with a mild headache from the two glasses of wine he drank the previous evening.

He had needed that distraction, and smiled at the memory of Yuta attempting to re-enact stunts from the film, with disastrous results.

Taeyong drags himself to the en-suite and showers before getting dressed. It was still early, and Taeyong didn't know exactly what time Johnny went into surgery, so he goes down to the recovery ward, hoping he can see his ex-husband to wish him luck.

When he arrives, Dr. Do is just leaving the ward. He gives Taeyong one look and sighs.

"I'm giving you exactly 1 minute" he says and walks past Taeyong, who doesn't waste the time given to him.

Johnny is asleep when Taeyong enters the room, and when Taeyong sits next to him, he takes the other man's hand in his, pressing a kiss against his fingers.

"Good luck" he says after a few seconds, pressing his free hand against Johnny's chest and counting his steady heartbeat before he gets up, "I need you to come back to me, okay?"

When Dr. Do and a few nurses enter the room to take Johnny, Taeyong steps back, watching Johnny until the team disappears around a corner.

Taeyong has breakfast with the Juniors of NCT namely Mark, Haechan, YangYang, Jeno and Jaemin, letting their bickering and giggling wash over him as he tries to not let anxiety consume him.

Kun joins them just as Taeyong finishes eating, the Juniors immediately jump up, saluting. Kun salutes back before turning to Taeyong with a kind smile.

"What's wrong? Is it Johnny?" Taeyong asks immediately, gripping his spoon tightly.

"No, no, he's still in surgery" Kun reassures him, and Taeyong breathes again, "We need you in the war room to do a quick live for us. The video of Johnny getting shot while protecting the citizen has gone viral, and people want an update on his condition. Do you think you're up for it?"

Taeyong nods, and follows Kun out of the mesh room.

-

Taeyong sits still as Ten tries to hide the circles under his eyes and bring colour to his cheeks. He keeps his eyes closed until Ten is done.

"There, much better" Ten says with a satisfied smile. Taeyong returns it with a weaker one, and then takes his place in front of the camera.

The light blinks red and Taeyong starts talking. He gives the public an update on Johnny- that he had a surgery last night, and went into surgery right now. He spoke briefly about his neck injury, and that for now the doctors were unsure of how the second surgery would go. Taeyong then asks the public to pray for Johnny, and hopes that the girl Johnny saved from getting shot is doing well.

Doyoung nods approvingly behind the camera- this was a great way to appeal to the public's sympathy and for them to see that NCT was truly there to protect them.

Taeyong gives a quick bow and when the live ends, he watches as Twitter blows up, hashtags and prayers being created for Johnny, people talking more than ever about NCT, and their further determination to get the rebels out. Mass, peaceful protests were being organized all over Korea, taking up all the top trends.

Taeyong is gratified by all the love pouring out to Johnny. He stands with Ten and watches as his live gets shared, getting hundreds of thousands, then millions of views. He closes his eyes when the video of Johnny getting shows up occasionally, and eventually turns away from the screens.

Kun comes in suddenly, and walks towards the hologram table where Doyoung, Ten and Yuta is standing, his expression serious.

"Doyoung, a few men from the army are outside, requesting permission to enter the headquarters" Kun says, and Doyoung raises a brow.

"The Korean army?" he asks, and Kun nods, “Army intelligence doesn’t know the location of this facility, except for-“ Doyoung pauses, seeming to experience some sort of realization.

“Exceopt for your brother” Kun finishes for him, nodding again, “Captain Kim is here”

-

Taeyong is told to stay in the war room while Doyoung, Kun, Ten, Yuta and Jaehyun go to the mesh room to meet the soldiers.

He's burning with curiosity: he hadn't known Doyoung had a brother, never mind one so high up in the army ranks. Once Doyoung got over the shock of his brother being here, he told Kun to let them in, and search them thoroughly for any weapons or bugs they might have on their person. He then turned to Taeyong and ordered him to remain in the room with Taeil while he and the others go find out why the army wanted to see him.

Seeing the leader calmly check his gun barrel before strapping it into his side was jarring- why would he need one when his brother was here? Taeyong didn't question it though, and tried not to look impatient as he paced the war room.

Suddenly, one of the screen switched on, showing a top-side view of the mesh room. Taeyong turns to Taeil, who gives him a small smile before turning to his work again.

Taeyong sits down and watches as 5 men in army uniforms walk into the mesh room. Their expressions are cautious at most or pointedly blank. There's some quick bowing before the two groups sit across from each other at a table.

"Dongyoung" The man in the center says, and thanks to the high quality of NCT's surveillance camera, Taeyong could see the strong resemblance between Captain Kim and Doyoung. He manages to sound both firm and gentle with that one word, "How are you?"

"I'm good, hyung" Doyoung says, no inflection in his voice, which surprises Taeyong because the leader is usually the most expressive person around, "What are you doing here?"

Captain Kim gives a small smile, "That's not a very warm reception to your older brother", when Doyoung doesn't respond, he sighs, "The army is working with the rebels. General Song has been bribed over by the leader of the organization for over a year now. That's why they were able to infiltrate the President's House so easily and take over the government. And why the army has been so slow to interfere, even after a month. I investigated and found communication with the rebels and proof of money transfers"

"I told you this years ago. I said that the army was corrupt and that Song couldn’t be trusted. But you didn't believe me. You chose to stay with them rather than trust your own brother" Doyoung bites out and Captain Kim sighs again, "You still haven't said why you're here"

"I-I was wrong, Doie. I admit that. The situation has gotten worse now, with the army now sending soldiers to join the rebels. We fled in the middle of the night, and with NCT openly going against the rebels, we wish to join you"

Doyoung snorts, "You want to join NCT? After you rejected President Lee's offer to make you co-leader because you're "an army man through and through and not some glorified errand boy at the President's leisure"? How do I know you're not here to spy on me?"

"You know me, little brother" Captain Kim says, looking almost hurt, "I've seen the truth now, Dongyoung, and my mind has thoroughly been changed. I want to get this country back, and I think NCT can do that" he leans forward, his hands spread out in a gesture of peace, "You're my brother and I love you. I want to save Korea, and if there's one thing you can’t doubt me on, it's my love for this country"

Doyoung looks at him quietly for a few seconds, "You'll be allowed a trial period like every other NCT member had to go through, and by the end of 5 days Kun and I will decide if you stay or not"

Captain Kim nods, smiling again, "That's all we need"

"I love you too Gongmyung, but this is also my family. If it looks like you're here to put any of them in danger, I won’t hesitate to get rid of you all"

Gongmyung nods seriously, and Taeyong watches the two groups get up and Captain Kim introduce the rest of the soldiers. Soon they migrate to the kitchen where Doyoung serves them some soup, and he and his brother talk quietly while everyone eats.

Taeyong smiles. The two men obviously still had issues to discuss and work out, but Taeyong was glad that Doyoung allowed his brother to stay. Having inside men of the army would be valuable, and even though it's only been a few minutes since Taeyong’s known about Gongmyung, he could see how much the brothers had missed each other, even with the lack of trust at the moment.

-

Taeyong stares at the screen even as it shows a now empty mesh room, deep in thought. He initially suspected that the army might be involved with the rebels, but even this shocked him. And if Doyoung has been trying to reveal how corrupt the army is for years now, no wonder he left all those years ago. Seems like only his father believed him. Now Taeyong knows why his father needed to create NCT, and why Doyoung thought so highly of his father.

God, this was truly going to crush Johnny.

He thinks about maybe going back to his ex-husband's room when Dr. Do walks into the war room, out of his surgery scrubs.

Taeyong rushes to him, "The surgery is over?"

Dr. Do nods, "The bullet has been removed" he says, and Taeyong feels like he's breathing for the first time since yesterday, "He's going to be fine, Mr. Lee. Commander Suh will need to remain in the recovery ward for a while, but I foresee no future problems. You can see him this afternoon"

With that, Dr. Do leaves and Taeyong falls back into his chair again, a relieved smile on his face.

-

Taeyong leaves the war room soon after Dr. Do does, going to the weapons room to tell Ten the good news.

He became familiar with Ten and most of the other members' schedules pretty quickly, and knew that Ten was currently at the shooting range.

When Taeyong arrives at the weapons room near the rec room, he nearly walks into Kun, who was busy leaving the room. His cheeks were flushed and he was attempting to straighten to his clothes. Kun's cheeks darken further when he sees Taeyong, who raises an eyebrow at him.

"Mr Lee" Kun says in greeting, giving a quick nod of the head as he moves to pass him.

"Uhm, Commander Sergeant Major Qian?" Taeyong calls, as Kun walks down the hallway at a fast pace. The second-in-command turns to Taeyong, still running a hand through his hair. Taeyong grins, "Your fly is down, Sir"

Kun gives an undignified squeak, attempts a "Thanks" before racing off again.

Taeyong holds in his giggle as he enters the weapons room, finding Ten still casually buttoning up the front of his black jumpsuit that was standard uniform in NCT. Taeyong rolls his eyes at Ten's unashamed grin.

"I'm sure you guys just broke like 10 rules" Taeyong says, watching as Ten fastens the gun strap to his waist.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Ten says innocently, and Taeyong grins.

-

Taeyong finally gets to go visit Johnny after lunch. He gets to the medical ward, greeting an ever-smiling Jaemin, and enters. He gives a smile when he finds Johnny already awake, focused on Jaehyun sitting in the chair next to his bed.

Taeyong tries not to be too disappointed by the fact that he wasn't the first one to visit Johnny as he walks closer. He's gratified by how Johnny's eyes light up when he notices Taeyong. He lifts his hand in a weak wave, and points to his throat. Taeyong nods his understanding.

"Dr. Do said the swelling in his throat should be gone in a day or two" Jaehyun says, who was busy getting up. Johnny turns his head and frowns at him, making Jaehyun dimple, "I have a meeting with Doyoung in 5 minutes. I'll come visit you tonight, buddy"

Johnny smiles and after Jaehyun leaves with a quick nod at Taeyong, the room is silent again.

The two men can only look at each other, and once Taeyong has sat down, their hands find each other.

"You look terrible" Taeyong says, squeezing Johnny's fingers gently, who looks like he's trying not to laugh, "I swear I've gotten a few grey hairs in the last 24 hours"

Johnny smiles, giving a quick shrug, and Taeyong playfully rolls his eyes, "What, you wouldn't care if I had grey hair?"

Johnny slowly shakes his head and Taeyong smiles, feeling his chest swell.

Oh no, that's a dangerous feeling to have.

Fuck it, Taeyong thinks. If this incident has proven anything, it’s that Taeyong still loved Johnny as much as he did 3 years ago. He was going to go with these feelings and see where it took him.

Life was giving them another chance, and past issues and unanswered questions shouldn't stop them from trying again.

"I was so scared, John. I've never felt fear like this in my life" Taeyong says softly, and gently smoothes out the furrow between Johnny's brow, "But you're alive, and that's all that matters"

Taeyong raises their hands and kisses Johnny's fingers, much like he did yesterday. Johnny's eyes widen slightly at that, a faint blush on his cheeks. It emboldens Taeyong.

"We'll get through this together" he says gently, and the smile on Johnny's face is bright and beautiful, despite how visibly he still was from the anaesthesia.

The two men sit in silence after that, feeling best they have in years.

They felt complete.

-

Taeyong officially meets Captain Kim Gongmyung at dinner that evening. On closer expectation he and Doyoung look even more similar, and both carry themselves with that military-ingrained stance that’s similar to Johnny’s: shoulders back, spine straight and hands behind their back.

It's the Master Sergeant who introduces the two men to each other. Captain Kim has since arrival showered (his hair was still damp) and he was wearing tracksuit pants and a sweatshirt. The rest of his men were sitting at a table with some NCT members, eating their meals and talking. They blended in seamlessly.

"I'm sorry about your loss" the captain says, his face solemn, "Your father was a great man, despite our disagreements"

"Thank you, Captain" Taeyong says, giving a faint, but genuine smile. The line that was formed for food moved, and the three men moved with it.

"Gongmyung, please. And I must say, you're even more beautiful in real life. The pictures of you don’t do you enough justice" Gongmyung says, suddenly flashing a wide, charming smile. Taeyong blinks at him, his cheeks flushing, which seems to delight the taller man, before he grunts as Doyoung elbows him in the side.

"Stop flirting like an idiot" Doyoung says, yelping when Gongmyung ruffles his hair. Taeyong leaves the two brothers to bicker, putting his dinner on his platter.

-

Two weeks pass, and life goes on. Johnny spends the first week in the recovery ward, under the strict monitoring of Dr. Do and adoring gaze of Jaemin and Jeno, who both turn out to be fans of the taller man. The swelling on Johnny's throat goes away after 5 days, but he could still only eat blended soup and health juices as his neck injury recovered.

Dr. Do does throat and neck exercises with Johnny every days and is only satisfied the results after 15 days pass.

Taeyong visits Johnny as much as he can. He seems all his time either in the war room, the ward and Johnny's room. He shyly admitted to his ex-husband about his current sleeping situation the second day he came to visit, and blushed when Johnny gave a delighted smile.

The two men mostly spent their time in silence at first, but neither of them particularly minded. Taeyong would smile as Johnny traced his fingers over the younger man's hands and arms. Johnny would close his eyes and sigh contentedly as Taeyong brushes his fingers through the soldier's hair, humming softly.

When Johnny could talk again, they'd have whispered conversation as he vocal chords got used to being used again. Taeyong nearly cried when Johnny calls him "Yong" for the first time in nearly a month.

Taeyong updates him daily on the propaganda campaign; Gongmyung did not only leave the military, he also came to NCT with all their dirty secrets. Over the course of the few weeks, Gongmyung has worked with Doyoung and they've slowly been leaking files showing the military accepting money from the rebels. There have also been recordings posted on all social media where General Song is talking to the organization's leader.

The public has been in uproar; the men they trusted to protect them were sell outs! There has been even more resistance than ever, and NCT trends daily with Koreans showing their support. The elections that the rebels were planning has been delayed for another two months since citizens weren't showing support for it.

Kun told them that the rebels were enraged, but the Chinese man is unsure what they're planning in retaliation since those meetings are only for the inner circle. Doyoung cautions NCT members going out to patrol that they should ensure the NCT headquarters are not discovered, and to rotate their route daily when entering and exiting the facility.

Gongmyung and Taeil quickly become friends, and Taeyong is pretty sure everyone all the Juniors are crushing on him, especially after they saw the way he shoots. He and Gongmyung get to know each other as well, and Taeyong quite likes the older man. They have lunch together almost every day, and the Captain even helps with his propaganda material. He hasn’t flirted with Taeyong since that first day, which is relieving for Taeyong.

-

Johnny finally gets released after 3 weeks. He could now eat soft food, and his voice wasn’t hoarse anymore. Jaemin grins as he pushes his wheelchair out of the ward to the elevator, where Taeyong was waiting.

"Bye, Sir" Jaemin says with a wiggle of his fingers as he hands Johnny over to Taeyong, before returning to the medical ward.

"I'm pretty sure he has a crush on you" Taeyong says with a grin, helping Johnny stand up. They step into the elevator, and press for the ground floor.

"I know" Johnny says and laughs when Taeyong bumps his shoulder against his playfully, "Hey, you have to be nice to me, I'm an injured man"

Taeyong rolls his eyes but takes Johnny's hand in his, which makes the taller man smile.

The elevator doors open, and they stroll through the hallways, making their way back to Johnny's room. Dr. Do said that Johnny still needed to rest a lot and come down to the ward for throat exercises and check ups.

"Dont even think of going anywhere near a gun or trying to do field assignments within the next month, Commander" Dr. Do said in a tone that meant that there'll be hell to pay if Johnny disobeyed him.

They stop infront of Johnny's room, suddenly shy. The ward has been their own little cocoon for the last few weeks, and leaving it felt like they were taking their relationship from just flirting and getting to know each other again, to something more.

"Uhm, so I'll see you at lunch?" Taeyong says, already walking backwards to his room next door. He already felt the dreaded emptiness of his room, without Johnny's lingering scent to comfort him.

"Yeah" Johnny says slowly, "Or you could sleep with me?" When Taeyong stares, his face burning, Johnny adds quickly, "Not like that! Just sleep. I don’t think I could fall asleep on my own anymore. So we could share my room. If you want."

Johnny looked so nervous that Taeyong finds himself smiling, and nods, "I'd like that".

When Johnny and Taeyong arrive at dinner that evening, everyone immediately swarms him, asking him if he's okay and calling him a hero. Johnny gives a shy, endearing giggle as Mark and Haechan look at him with stars in their eyes, and Taeyong leaves them with a smile in order to get their meals. He meets Ten in the line, busy pinching Kun's butt who was standing in front of him.

"I see you and Johnny moved into the same room" Ten says in lieu of hello, smirking when Taeyong goggles at him.

"How did you even know that?" Taeyong whispers, looking around to see if anyone heard the Thai man. He didn't want his business to be all over headquarters.

"It's me you're talking to" Ten scoffs, and Taeyong rolls his eyes, "And I'm dating the second most powerful person in the group, of course I know everything"

"He was eavesdropping on your conversation after Johnny got out of the ward" Kun suddenly says, turning to them, "He came to say hi and he overheard you two"

"You're such a spoilsport" Ten says to the Chinese man with a pout. Kun grins at him, pressing a kiss against his forehead, and Taeyong skips the line when the two men get distracted.

-

Later that night, Johnny sits on the edge of the bed, still and staring at Taeyong who was kneeling in front of him, gently applying the antibacterial cream to his neck wound. It was almost healed, and there would be a scar, just below his right ear. Taeyong puts on the dressing and smiles.

"All done" he says, and blinks when he finds Johnny just staring at him, "What?"

"You're so beautiful" Johnny says, and tucks his finger under Taeyong's chin, lifting it gently when the shorter man looked down shyly, "You're beautiful, and kind, and the best person I know"

Taeyong feels a lump in the back of his throat, and reaches up to kiss Johnny on the lips. They've been doing that a lot lately, kissing.

" _You're_ the best person I know, John Suh" Taeyong says softly, and joins Johnny in standing up. They kiss again as they get into bed, their bodies melting together.

They've always fitted together perfectly.

-

Johnny and Gongmyung meeting is like two soft, large teddy bears finding each other. Who happen to know how to kill people in 200 different ways.

When Taeyong and Johnny enter the mesh room the following morning, their shoulders brushing together, the Captain is busy leaving, still munching on a breakfast bar.

"Hey, Taeyong" Gongmyung says with a smile. When he sees Johnny, he immediately gives a sharp salute, which Johnny promptly returns, "Commander Suh"

"Captain Kim" Johnny says with a nod of the head, "I was surprised when Taeyong told me that you've joined us. Thank you for all your contributions to this fight. As much as it pains me hearing what the army is doing, I'm glad the truth is out"

The two men bow to each other, and seem to snap out of formalities as Gongmyung compliments Johnny on a mission he did a few years ago. They seem to have completely forgotten that Taeyong was there as soon as the conversation moved to knives.

Bemused, Taeyong goes to the kitchen alone.

"I see a bromance is blossoming" Jaehyun says with a grin as Taeyong sits down with them and starts smearing butter on a slice of toast. Taeyong grunts and takes a bite of his toast.

But when Johnny eventually joins them, and Johnny places an extra pancake on Taeyong's plate, he kisses Johnny on the cheek in thanks.

After breakfast Johnny leaves with Jaehyun to look at some schematics of some secret thingy, while Taeyong heads to the war room.

"How long have you two been a thing?" Gongmyung asks after the morning strategy meeting, and Taeyong looks at him, surprised. He's unused to everyone not knowing that he and Johnny used to be married.

"Uhm, not long I suppose" Taeyong says eventually, deciding to tell the partial truth, "It's been at least 3 weeks now"

"Huh, seems like longer" Gongmyung says and Taeyong shrugs, "You two look good together"

The shorter man smiles to himself.

-

Another week of propaganda goes by. The rebels are now faced with protestors outside the Presidential Home on a daily basis, demanding that the organization vacate the home of their beloved president. There has been more foreign media in Korea than ever, and the world was seeing how unhappy Koreans were, and what contribution the military had to the coup.

Gongmyung has joined Taeyong in being the face of the revolution: a prominent member of the army joining NCT has benefitted them greatly. Half of the trends were about the information the Captain leaked. The other half was about how nice his arms looked.

Johnny and Taeyong slowly fall in love again. They sleep in the same bed, kissing and whispering to each other deep into the night. They haven't made love yet, but that was fine: they were slowly rediscovering each other. They walk around holding hands, Taeyong blushing when they get the occasional "Ooh" or wolf-whistle from their friends.

Taeyong cooks Johnny a 3 course-meal when the soldier heals up completely, and they get over the hurdle of Taeyong having a freak-out when Johnny is allowed to get back in the shooting ring again.

Taeyong has never been this happy in a long time.

-

And of course, happiness never lasts for Taeyong. It all goes to hell. It always does.

-

The rebels have kidnapped 10 citizens. They've decided to copy NCT and use social media to do a live, showing the citizens in a basement (most likely in the Presidential House), tied up and scared as they sit huddled on the ground.

Doyoung swears loudly as he watches the screen, everyone staring in disgust as the rebels laugh at the fright on the civilians' faces.

"Cant Kun and Jungwoo do something?" Taeyong asks desperately, tears in his eyes. Johnny was next to him, holding his hand tightly. The rest of the war room was quiet and solemn, not taking their eyes off the screen. There were tweets and posts asking NCT to rescue the citizens, and Taeyong sincerely hoped they could.

"They can’t break their cover" Doyoung says, sighing, "There's no way they'll get those citizens out without getting caught. Rescuing you was a singular mission, Taeyong. Ten people is more difficult. We'll need a fool-proof plan to do this"

Taeyong nods, biting his lip to stop it from wobbling.

Suddenly the stream switched from the civilians to a different room where a man was sitting at a desk, wearing the rebel uniform but accompanied by medals and stars on his chest.

Taeyong stares, anger lashing through him, "That's my father's office!" He says. This must be the leader then. He's never been seen before, and Taeyong narrows his eyes. How dare he sit in his father's office like he owned it?

"Good evening" the man says, his voice warm and pleasant. Taeyong wanted to throw up, "My name is Special Commander Choi Chanhyuk, and I am the leader of the People's Movement"

"The People's Movement? What a fucking-" Ten cuts off when Sicheng shushes him.

"We as an organization are here to save South Korea from a failed government, and return the country to its former glory. There is a group that calls itself Neo City Technology that have attempted to hinder this progress, thus forcing us to take extreme measures"

The leader smiles.

"Please don’t be alarmed. The citizens will not be harmed. They will be returned as soon as NCT does what we demand of them" he leans forward, "Are you listening?"

The military identification images of Johnny, Gongmyung and the rest of the army men at NCT are shown at the bottom of the screen. Special Commander Choi lists the names of everyone shown, "NCT must return these deserters within the next 24 hours, in exchange for freeing the civilians. If they do not..." he trails off, the silence speaking volumes, "I look forward to seeing you all soon"

With a final smile, the screen goes blank.

The war room is stunned into silence. Taeyong can’t breathe.

"Okay!" Doyoung says suddenly, "Our deadline has shifted to 24 hours. I need ideas on how to rescue those citizens, now!"

Everyone finally stirs, moving to the hologram table to discuss plans and strategies.

Johnny is still staring at the screen, and Taeyong is staring at Johnny.

-

Doyoung, Kun, Gongmyung, Johnny and the rest of the soldiers have a private 3 hour meeting about how they would move forward.

Taeyong goes to the kitchens and makes brownies. Then he bakes a three layered cake.

There is terrible anxiety and fear running through him, and he couldn't face anyone right now. The look on Johnny's face when he went into the meeting confirmed Taeyong's fears that this whole situation was not going to end well for the two of them. Johnny was a good, righteous man. It's why Taeyong loves him. It was also why he became a soldier.

It's why Taeyong knows that Johnny would hand himself over to the rebels if it meant saving those people. Taeyong hated himself for the thought, but he didn't want Johnny to give himself over. He wanted him with here and safe.

Taeyong's just started on the batter for lemon bars when the doors to the kitchen open up, and Johnny walks through.

Johnny who's wearing his tactical gear, his gun strapped to his side and his helmet held loosely in his left hand.

There's a terrible silence as the two men look at each other, the bowl of batter forgotten in Taeyong's hands.

"We've come up with a plan" Johnny finally says, and Taeyong nods.

Then nods again. He clears his throat, but the lump remains there.

"You're handing yourselves over?" He asks softly, and Johnny steps closer to him. He places his helmet on the table, sits down in a chair and pulls Taeyong onto his lap.

"The People's Movement have no plans to free those civilians if we handed ourselves over, and this whole situation would probably end with us all assassinated on a live stream" Taeyong shudders at the thought, and Johnny runs a soothing hand down his back, "So Kun and Jungwoo are going to cause a distraction, drawing the guards away from kidnapped citizens, while a group of us use the secret tunnels to smuggle them out. Remember, it was the same tunnels we use to get you out"

Taeyong nods, biting his lip. Johnny frowns, obviously concerned by Taeyong's quietness, "What's wrong? It's a good plan"

"I feel like I'm losing you again" Taeyong blurts out, cheeks immediately flaming.

Oh God, he hadn't meant to say that.

"Lose me? But I'm right here, I survived and-" Johnny stops, finally reading the turmoil on Taeyong's face, "Oh"

Tears burn in Taeyong's eyes, "Don't leave me again, Johnny"

"Yong..." Johnny says, sounding pained. He can’t get Taeyong to look him in the eye, "Our divorce, it was never about-"

But before Johnny could continue, they were interrupted by Ten, also dressed in tactical gear and carrying his weight in weapons.

"C'mon Commander, we're leaving in 2 minutes" he says, entering and stops when he sees the two men, "Oh. Oops, sorry"

Ten backtracks out, and Johnny sighs.

"I have to go" Johnny says, and Taeyong nods mechanically. He feels lips press against his cheeks before he stands up. Johnny stands as well, and pulls him into a tight hug, "I'm coming back to you, I promise. And then we're going to have a long-overdue conversation"

Taeyong pulls him down for a long kiss, his tears staining Johnny's cheeks.

-

Taeyong stays in his and Johnny's bedroom the entire 19 hours the rescue squad is away.

He initially went war room when Taeil hacked the cameras in the Presidential House and saw the small bomb Kun set up in a deserted corridor. It went off, and soon rebels were flooding the upper floor. There was some gun fire that the audio picked up, and Taeyong had to leave because he suddenly couldn't breathe. He needed to be alone. He- he couldn't be there and see Johnny possibly having the fight again.

When he gets to their room, Taeyong pulls on one of Johnny's hoodies, breathing in the warm, familiar scent as he crawls onto their bed, curling into a tight ball. Taeyong closes his eyes, and thinks of his wedding day.

It was a small, intimate affair. The two men had been secretly dating since high school and throughout university. Johnny proposed the day after they both graduated with their degrees, Taeyong in law and Johnny from military school.

With both of their families against their relationship, only their closest friends attended the ceremony. Taeyong's sister got an online license to administer weddings, and standing on a small, private beach on Jeju island, the two men got married. Both men wore all-white, barefoot as they said their vows, holding hands and unable to take their eyes off each other. Johnny cried as Taeyong placed the ring on his finger, and when they finally kiss, he lifted Taeyong up, their lips eagerly finding each other.

The reception took place at the fanciest restaurant on the island, Taeyong's sister even ordering them a proper wedding cake. The two men danced for hours, unable to let go of each other for even a second.

They made love into the following morning, Taeyong kissing the ring on Johnny's finger as he came over and over.

"I love you so much, Johnny Suh" Taeyong whispered into the dark room, spent and so very happy. Johnny pulled him closer, pressing a kiss against the side of his head.

"I love you too, Suh Taeyong" Johnny says, his voice full of warmth and adoration, "You're the best thing to have ever happened to me. I'll never let you go, as long as I live".

The two men went to sleep, both believing those words with their entire hearts.

-

Taeyong's eyes are wet as he burrows deeper under the covers, trying to escape those precious, painful memories. They were married for over 2 years, happy and in love. Their parents even eventually tolerated their relationship, and Taeyong got to stand with his father when he went on his Presidential Campaign, while Johnny was preparing to join the military

.

Then a week before the elections, Johnny sat him down and he handed over those papers. Taeyong had never felt such a shocking blindside in his life, his body numb and his brain uncomprehending of what was happening.

"Why?" that's all he could ask. Johnny's was trying to look expressionless, but Taeyong could see the pain his eyes, "Why are you doing this? Why, Johnny?"

"It'll be for the best, Yong" Johnny said, his eyes focusing on a spot above Taeyong's head, "Soon you'll be the President's Son and I'll be in the military. This marriage, it... it won’t work out in the long run"

"But how can you say that? We love each other!" Taeyong cried out, his chest heaving and Johnny's arms twitched as if he wanted to reach for him. Instead, he got up, leaving the papers on the table. Taeyong watched his husband swallow hard, his eyes shimmering.

"I have to go" Johnny said, his voice cracking slightly, "I'm enlisting in 2 days, so if you could sign the papers and fax them to my lawyer, that would be great"

"Johnny, Johnny please. Please, please-" But Johnny was already walking to the front door, their apartment's front door. He pauses, looking at Taeyong one last time.

"Goodbye, Yong" he said softly, before closing the door.

-

Taeyong gulps down a sob, breathing past the familiar ache in his heart. The divorce was settled a month later, and the last time they saw each other again before that banquet three years later was the divorce court room. Johnny had been unable to look him in the eye. They agreed on Taeyong receiving everything, since Johnny insisted, making their divorce go much quicker.

Taeyong stayed with his sister through it all, not talking to anyone as he tried to hold himself together. She left him alone, knowing when to force her little brother to eat or get fresh air. He barely remembers much from that time, his brain protecting him from the pain and trauma of losing the love of his life.

As time went on, Taeyong's heartache became bearable. He moved into the Presidential home after a few months, and took up his duties as the President's Son. He smiled, he waved, he gave speeches, he cut ribbons, he met celebrities, he went to dinners.

He survived.

When his sister died just over a year ago from a car accident, it was his parents who helped him through the grief. His sister's memory slowly healed his already bruised heart, and her love that he still felt every day that made him live on.

And now his parents were executed, and Taeyong once again has to learn how to survive again.

Taeyong wonders if he could get through another loss.

Then he tries not to think at all for a long time.

-

Taeyong was busy sleeping when the feeling of someone settling behind him on the bed startles him awake, and he flails a little.

"It's okay, it's just me" he hears behind him and Taeyong feels the air leave his body as Johnny wraps his arms around him, pulling Taeyong tighter against his chest.

"You're back" Taeyong says in a relieved voice, resting his arms on top of Johnny's, who presses a kiss against Taeyong's earlobe.

"I told you I'd be" Johnny murmurs, "We got everyone out. Since it would probably be too dangerous for the citizens to go home at the moment, we've set them and their families up in a safe place in a different city"

Taeyong nods, glad that everyone got out, "And Kun and Jungwoo?"

"Their covers are still secure. It's all over, Yong" Johnny says, loosening his arms enough to allow Taeyong to turn around.

Johnny had showered and changed into a white sleeping shirt and sweatpants before joining Taeyong in bed.

"For now. But what if they do this again? No one will be safe until the rebels are gone" Taeyong says and Johnny nods, gently rubbing his hand up and down Taeyong's spine.

"I know, they'll be more dangerous than ever, especially since we've embarrassed them again by successfully saving the citizens. There's a strategy meeting tomorrow morning with the entire group to decide whether we'll solely continue with the propaganda campaign or combine it with brute force"

Taeyong's stomach turns at the thought of more violence.

He kisses Johnny, melting against his body. Reassuring himself that Johnny was actually here with him.

They kiss for a long time, Taeyong ending up on top of Johnny, cupping the soldier's face gently.

"I missed you so much" Taeyong says eventually, their foreheads pressed together. Johnny presses another kiss against his lips.

"I missed you too, Yong" he says, and hesitates slightly before adding, "And I know we have a lot we need to talk about-"

Taeyong kisses Johnny mid-sentence, "I just want to sleep right now. And I'm sure you're exhausted. Let's talk tomorrow morning, okay?"

Johnny looks slightly relieved at the suggestion and nods. Taeyong settles down next to him again, and they hold each other tightly.

"I love you, Lee Taeyong" Johnny murmurs after a moment of silence.

Taeyong presses a kiss against Johnny's heart.

"I love you, John Suh"

-

The following morning the two men take a shower together, washing each other's hair and backs. Taeyong smiles and gives a sigh of bliss as Johnny wraps his arms around him, holding him as they stand under the water.

They dry off and get dressed, walking down to breakfast hand in hand. Johnny shares his pancake and Taeyong gives him all the apple slices in his fruit salad. Ten tells them they're gross, and Kun gives him a light slap on the shoulder before feeding him a piece of toast.

After dropping off their dishes at the kitchens, they take a slow walk to the rec room, which is empty.

Taeyong takes a seat on a chair, and Johnny takes the other one across from him.

The two men simply look at each other for a few seconds before Taeyong takes a deep breath.

"Why?" He asks softly. It feels like they were back in their apartment all those years ago, "Why?"

Johnny sighs and briefly closes his eyes, as if giving a quick prayer.

He opens them, and Taeyong swallows as he sees tears.

"You were never meant to find out about this" Johnny begins, and Taeyong's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "A week and a half before the Presidential election, your father came to see me"

Taeyong blinks. Out of all the things Johnny could have said, that wasn't even on Taeyong's list.

"My father?" he asks blankly, and Johnny leans forward, taking Taeyong's hands in his, squeezing them gently.

"Taeyong, I need you to listen to me, okay? I'd hoped you would never find out about this, because I-I didn't want your view of your father to ever change"

"Just tell me, John" Taeyong says softly, and Johnny sighs again, but gives a nod.

"It was a week and a half before the Presidential election, and your father came to see me" he repeats, "He asked me to divorce you”

"No, he didn't" Taeyong says immediately, shaking his head. His father loved Taeyong, and he even came to accept the marriage.

He would never. He wouldn't. He would not-

"He did. It was just after the latest polls where your father was leading as the most popular Presidential candidate. He knew he would become President of South Korea, and you would be the First Son. Your sister had already decided that she didn't want to live her life in the constant spotlight for the next 4, possibly 8 years, so you had to take over" Johnny pauses, pressing his lips together to prevent it from trembling, "His son being married to a man, and having a gay son-in-law was barely tolerable when he was just a politician serving his district. But when the Presidency was in his grasp, and I was close to joining the military, he decided this marriage needed to become nullified. The Lee name could not be tarnished because of our marriage, in the military nor as the First Family"

"So you left me because my father told you to? Just like that?" Taeyong asks in a small voice, feeling unbearably hurt and betrayed, "You broke my fucking heart, John"

"I left you because I wanted to make your life easier, Yong. You know what would have happened when the Korean public found out you were gay. It would have caused the public to immediately want your father to step down, or even damage alliances with powerful countries like China" Johnny's expression becomes hurt when Taeyong removes his hands from his grasp, "I truly did what was best for you. We both almost lost our parents because we fell in love. I couldn't ruin your future, baby"

"Don't call me that" Taeyong says, getting up and walking to the door. His father- his papa caused his divorce. The man who held him for hours as he cried over Johnny shattering his heart. The man who always sounded proud when he introduced Taeyong as his son.

Taeyong couldn't breathe.

Johnny grabs his hand, and Taeyong spins around, slamming his free hand against the soldier's hard, muscled chest. It didn't even shake Johnny, who was looking at Taeyong with desperation in his eyes.

"It fucking broke me when I handed you those divorce papers, Yong" he says, letting go of Taeyong when he tugs again, "I didn't want to do it. But I love you, and I wanted what was best for you in the long run. And I wasn't what was best for you"

"You and my father had no right to decide what was best for me!" Taeyong yells, now pounding Johnny's chest with both fists. Johnny allows it, "You two played God, and made me think there was something wrong with me and that you didn't love me, all because you wanted him to have an easier fucking Presidency?!"

"I never wanted to hurt you, you have to believe me" Johnny says desperately, finally taking Taeyong's hands into his and not letting go, "It's because I love you and only want what's best for you that I- I left you. And that was the future President and your father wanting to secure you future, I-"

"And I was your husband!" Taeyong shouts, before crumbling into himself, sobs racking through his body. He would have sunk to the floor if it wasn't for Johnny holding onto him. Taeyong buries his face in Johnny's chest, soaking his shirt with his tears, "Being married to you was what made me happy. You, only you. And my father took that away. You took that away from me"

Johnny lifts him into his arms, and sinks into a coach, Taeyong sitting on his lap. The taller man allows him to cry as he holds him tightly, murmuring into his hair, "I'm sorry, I love you"

That's all he says for a long time until the comms come on in the rec room.

"Code black, code black" Doyoung's voice says from the speakers in the walls, "Incoming attack, incoming attack. Proceed to the panic room immediately. I repeat, proceed to the-"

And that's when the world explodes, before going black.

-

Taeyong screamed and shrunk into Johnny as the ground shook under them before the lights went off.

There was silence before a ear-splitting alarm went off and the room lit up again, this time with red lighting. Another explosion rocks the room, causing a bookstand to tip over and the tv to fall off the wall.

"Taeyong, we have to go right now" Johnny says calmly, slipping into soldier mode. Taeyong stands up on wobbly legs, his earlier distraught momentarily slipping away under the fear and uncertainty right now.

He lets Johnny grab his hand and they run out of the room, where a squad of 5 people run past, all carrying weapons. No one stops when they see Johnny and Taeyong, merely disappearing around the corner.

The next explosion is much closer, debris and smoke coming from the corridor the squad ran into. The sound of gun fire can be heard from the above.

They run in the direction of the panic room, Johnny acting as a shield for Taeyong, who was clutching his hand tightly. One corridor before they reach their destination, the two men run into Yuta and Sicheng. They were standing side by side, obviously safeguarding the only entrance to the panic room.

"Yuta, what's going on?" Johnny asks when the members realize that the taller man and Taeyong weren't the enemy.

"The People's Movement" the Japanese man spits out, vibrating with anger and excess energy. He obviously wanted to be part of the fight going on, "They found our headquarters and they've attacked"

-

Johnny and Taeyong eventually get to the panic room, where they have to stare into a camera above to get their retinals scanned, before the heavy door swung open, mechanically controlled. No weapon could get make a dent in that door.

The panic room in NCT's headquarters is large, and can house all the members for well over 5-6 months. There are sleeping mats, clothes, a few showers and lavatories, and a small kitchen with a stock of food. They were prepared for any situation that might arise.

And boy, this was a situation.

Inside the room were a quite a few members, Ten amongst them sitting with some Juniors. Most of the Analyst team was also here. Either the rest of NCT were out fighting the rebels, or still needed to arrive.

Ten, sitting with Jaemin, Mark, YangYang and Haechan, beckons the two men to join them in the corner they were sitting in. He explains to them that Doyoung was only alerted about the attack a minute before the rebels showed up.

"They eventually figured out there was a mole in the Movement" Ten says, absentmindedly running his fingers through Mark's hair, who didn’t seem to mind, "And since they don’t know who the mole is, only the inner circle and trusted senior rebels were allowed into a meeting as soon as they found our headquarters -no one knows how- and they launched the attack. Kun just happened to hear one of the rebels talk about it a few minutes ago, and immediately alerted us. If he hadn't warned us..." The Thai man trails off, the implications clear.

"Where are they now?" Johnny asks, and Ten doesn't need to ask who he's talking about.

"Kun and Jungwoo have abandoned their posts, and are their way back to NeoCity" Ten says, and Johnny nods. Taeyong was relieved that the two men haven't been caught.

"Where is everyone else?" Taeyong asks, looking around.

"Medic should be here soon" Ten explains, "The rest are fighting off the rebels, keeping them out of HQ until the other half of the analyst team finish backing up the digital files in the war room into our off base site, before the originals get destroyed. Once they're done, a distraction will be caused and they’ll retreat to join us"

"Why aren't you out there?" Johnny asks. It wasn't a question of Ten's bravery, but genuine curiosity. Ten wasn't someone who stayed out of a fight.

"I'm third-in-command. Until Kun comes back, I have to stay here. If both he and Doyoung die today, I'm in charge and become leader of NCT" Ten says, his voice flat and serious. Everyone falls quiet after that.

A minute later the door swings open again, and Dr. Do and the other doctors come in. It was startling seeing them holding guns.

"Alright that's everyone accounted for" Ten says, nodding at Dr. Do who settles the doctors down in a free corner.

Taeyong shudders at the thought of no one else joining them, and holds on to Johnny's hand, who pulls Taeyong closer to his side. Regardless of their issues, the two men were not going to let go of each other at this moment.

An hour later, the doors to the panic room swings open again.

Ten gives a relieved sob as he jumps into Kun's arms, Jungwoo entering behind him.

Taeyong is glad to see that the two men got back safely, watching as Ten and Kun hug and kiss briefly. They then have a quick talk, before Kun gives a nod, handing Ten his gun.

Ten gives him one last kiss before he runs out of the room, the door shutting behind him.

Kun and Jungwoo walks over to them, returning the Juniors' salute.

"Did Ten go join the others?" Johnny asks and Kun nods, looking exhausted. He was still in his rebels uniform. Jungwoo excuses himself to go use the bathroom.

"He's needed out there. The members are holding their own, but an extra man would help greatly. Taeil is almost done with the digital files and luckily the war room remains unbreached" he says to a quiet room that is hanging off his every word.

It's been a long hour, with no information available of what was going on outside. The room was soundproof, so it was eerily quiet. Taeyong was still staying close to Johnny. He knows that the soldier wants to help fight, but if the worse outcome occurs, he'll be needed for the aftermath.

"We'll be implementing Operation Exodus as soon as the attacks have slowed down enough for the members to retreat" Kun says.

There's a shocked silence as all the members, even Dr. Do, stare at Kun with shocked or surprised expressions.

"Sir-" Jaemin starts, but Kun merely holds up his hand, immediately silencing the younger man.

"We have no other choice, Sergeant Na" Kun says calmly and Jaemin gives a short nods, ears red. No one else speaks up after that.

Taeyong didn't know what Operation Exodus was, but it sounded serious.

-

There are more hours of uncertainty and no outside news. Since Operation Exodus has been mentioned, everyone has been quieter than ever, occasionally murmuring to each other. It felt like Taeyong was at a funeral, and everyone was in a mourning silence.

While the Juniors are making lunch for everyone after Kun suggested they eat something light, Johnny quietly nudges Taeyong and points his head to a quiet corner to sit in. They excuse themselves from Kun, who gives them a small, but slightly wan smile, before getting up.

Once settled away from everyone else, sitting on the mat, Johnny takes Taeyong's hand in his again, which the shorter man allows.

"How are you feeling?" Johnny asks softly, his eyes only on Taeyong, who was looking at their intertwined fingers, a small frown on his face. When he finally looks up at Johnny, his eyes are shiny and vulnerable.

"I don’t know, John. I honestly don’t" Taeyong says, worrying his bottom lip briefly, "This attack is scaring me to death, and it's worse because we don’t know if our friends and the kids are alive or not" Taeyong's voice shakes at the end, and Johnny squeezes his fingers.

"And then there's this morning" Taeyong continues, eyes once again slipping away, "I feel like the last 4 years of my life has been a lie. Every thought and emotion I had over our divorce had been wrong, or I'd been blaming the wrong person. My father... I can't, I honestly still don't want to believe it. And it's not just the divorce, it's this group as well that he secretly helped create. I-I feel like I don't know my father at all"

Johnny reaches up and gently brushes a tear off Taeyong's cheek, "There's one thing you can’t doubt, and that was your father's love for you. Yes, our divorce inevitably benefited his and the family's image, but he was also only trying to protect you. I may have had my own feelings towards your father, but I can’t fault him for wanting to be a good father"

Taeyong stares at him, his eyes pained, "How can you sound like that? So... forgiving?"

Johnny shrugs, a small smile tugging on his lips, "Because I love you, Lee Taeyong" Taeyong's breathe catches; he'll never get over hearing those words again after all these years, "I love you and that's all I want to feel. I'm tired of the resentment, the anger and hatred. I just want to love and keep you"

Taeyong releases a shuddering breath, the steady and deep love in Johnny's eyes overwhelming the younger man. He rests his forehead against the soldier's, "I need more time to process all of this. I don’t think I'm ready to forgive and move on like you have, but... but I don't want you to stop holding me, John"

Johnny nods, leaning back enough to kiss Taeyong on his cheeks, before pressing his lips against his fingers, "I won’t, Yong. Not again"

-

Everyone's eyes turn to the panic room doors when they swing open on the 3rd hour. Smoke filters through the door, as does the sound of shouting.

Doyoung entering the room is a sight for sore eyes. There was blood on his gear, and his left cheek was swelling, but he was alive and standing.

"The rebels have temporarily retreated until their reinforcements arrive, which would be under 10 minutes" Doyoung says without preamble, as everyone leaps up, standing to action, "Operation Exodus has been launched. Let's go!"

Kun leads the way out of the panic room, his weapon held up and ready to be used, the rest of the members following his lead.

When Taeyong exits the panic room, he's met by the sight of a destroyed hallway, smoke and debris everywhere. He's relieved when he sees Ten, Yuta, Taeil, Gongmyung and the other members walking around him as they walk towards the stairway. Everyone looked exhausted, but unharmed.

Taeyong walks with Johnny on his one side, and Sicheng on his other. They all take the staircase down to the basement, and after Doyoung stops in front of another door where he presses in a code and gives a voice password, the door opens. It was more stairs, which goes down even deeper underground.

They all end up in what turns out to be a tunnel. It was surprisingly bright and well-kept for a place so deep in the earth, and without pausing, Doyoung starts jogging, everyone else following without hesitation.

After about 10 minutes of jogging on a steadily incline that was winding, Doyoung finally stops in front of a set of double doors, which looks as heavy as the panic room's. He again puts in a code and voice password before the doors open, leading once more to stairs, this time spiralling up.

Doyoung turns to Taeil, whose been close behind him.

"Special Analyst Moon" Doyoung says simply and Taeil nods. He pulls out a cellphone from his pocket, taps on the screen for a few second, before bringing the phone to his lips.

"This is Moon Taeil. Commencing Operation Exodus" Taeil says into his phone, and it felt like you could hear a pin drop, that's how quiet everyone was, "Alpha, nine, nine, gardenia, twilight, blue, silk"

Taeil pauses, before finally saying,

"Blow, NeoCity, blow"

-

Finding out they've been living in an underground facility that had bombs placed all over it, ready to blow at any moment, was certainly... interesting.

As soon as Taeil gave the voice code for NeoCity to blow, the phone gave a single ping sound before they heard the faintest sound of explosions. They were a safe distance away, but still felt the light aftershocks.

Everyone stood in silence for a few seconds, hit with the realization that their home was gone forever, before Doyoung snaps them back to reality.

"Let's go settle in" he says, and walks up the stairs alone.

In case Operation Exodus ever commenced, which could only occur if the facility they lived in was at a serious threat, and the members and their information wasn't safe anymore, there was another underground, off-site facility that NCT had as a backup. It was a few kilometers away, connected by a single underground tunnel that would get shut forever as soon as the last person entered.

Once everyone was inside, Kun closes the heavy doors, which will never be opened again.

The facility is similar to the headquarters- it is on the edge of the forest, with a high-tech air ventilation system, bedrooms, a mesh room and kitchen, weapons rooms and war room. It might be smaller, but the space wasn’t uncomfortable nor claustrophobic.

Taeyong’s father certainly prepared for every situation.

Doyoung lead them to the mesh room where he explains to them the situation: the last squad that went to patrol the streets managed to get tagged by the rebels, a tracker placed on the truck before the squad returned to NeoCity. There was no shame nor blame thrown around: no matter how safe they were, the rebels were eventually going to find them. Once their location was found, and they realized there was a mole in the Movement, they immediately launched an all-out attack.

Kun's warning gave Doyoung enough time to send out members to fight off the first wave of attacks, and to start backing up and destroying files. It was a relentless, brutal fight that NCT would have lost if they were unprepared for it, no matter how little time given.

" It's time for war" Doyoung says in a hard, commanding voice, "They showed us no mercy, and now neither will we. Kun and I have been communicating with small organizations over the last few months. These groups are all made of highly skilled, highly dangerous individuals that want the Movement eliminated. They'll be joining us soon, and help us get back Korea"

Taeyong stood next to Johnny, the taller man's arm wrapped around him, their eyes only on the leader. Hearing about these other groups joining them gave Taeyong more hope of NCT winning this upcoming battle with the rebels.

"We're also going to ensure that the military is cleaned out, and all those corrupt figures in power are ridden off for good" Doyoung continues, "For now, let's rest and recuperate. We've fought a hard battle, and we'll count this as a blessing that no lives were lost. Tomorrow the first few groups will be here"

After that, Doyoung tells everyone to go clean up and rest before dinner. The facility is designed so that the familiarity of HQ is not lost. There would be a meeting the following morning, before their new allies arrived.

Taeyong and Johnny first check up on their friends to see that they were fine. Besides a few bumps and bruises, and a nasty cut on Gongmyung's arm, everyone was fine. Taeyong watches as Jaehyun and Doyoung walk out of the mesh room together, holding each other’s hands tightly. No matter how strong Doyoung was, it must have hurt to launch Exodus. Luckily Jaehyun was there to comfort and steady him.

Soon everyone has left the mesh room, including Johnny and Taeyong. They don't try to find separate rooms.

Once they enter their new bedroom, Johnny turns to Taeyong, "I don’t know about you, but I could use a shower"

Taeyong gives a small smile and nods.

-

The following morning after breakfast, everyone goes to the rec room. A quick meeting is held, where more information is given on the groups joining them soon, and where they go from here on.

There were 4 groups joining them, all with members from different nationalities and backgrounds, much like NCT itself. All four groups consist mostly of individuals with prior relationships with each other, whether romantic, familial or friendship.

The biggest group is a nine-man squad called EXO, mostly made out of sharp shooters and tech geniuses. They all trained together and were part of a black-ops team for the government, but broke away on their own after the coup. The group was led by Kim Junmyeon. They've followed NCT's movements closely for a while now, and finally reached just before Taeyong was rescued.

The other three groups was BP, an all-women team made out of spies; Ateez, an 8-man group with some of the best hand-to-hand combatants in Korea; and finally GOT7, a team of former military men with members from the USA, China, Thailand and Korea, the group co-led by fiancés Jinyoung and Jaebeom.

All of them had impressive reputations and credentials, and would be great assets to NCT.

-

GOT7 arrive first, and Taeyong watches with amusement as Park Jinyoung grabs Doyoung into an undignified, loving hug right in front of both their teams. The older man fusses over the NCT leader, asking if he was eating and sleeping correctly, making Doyoung blush.

Turns out Jinyoung has known Doyoung for years now, meeting when both men were in the military. They went up in the ranks together, and left within a week of each other. Jinyoung had been one of the few people who believed Doyoung when he spoke out about how corrupt Colonel Song was. He formed GOT7 with his fiancé, and recruited both Korean and international military men.

The 7 men are shown their rooms and promised a fuller tour the following day after everyone arrived.

Next to arrive is BP, who like GOT7, had to wait at a remote location far off-site where Yuta and Hendery went to go fetch them. There could be no more risks of the rebels finding this new HQ, so extra precautions were being taken.

After introductions, and Jisoo pressing kisses onto Doyoung's red cheeks (Jisoo was a former pilot for the army, and a friend of Doyoung), BP settled in.

BamBam of GOT7, Lalisa of BP and Ten all sit together in a corner and talk in rapid Thai, painting a striking picture in their different uniforms and gear.

Jennie, Jaebeom, Taeil and Jackson were already sitting together and talking about something smart and high-tech while staring intently at Taeil's tablet.

-

Ateez arrives an hour later, all 8 of them acting like happy puppies as they smile brightly at everyone, bowing to every thing that moves. Kim Hongjoong, the group's leader, is short and adorable with a wicked mullet, and introduces his team like a proud father would.

Taeyong finds himself warming up to them immediately, giving kind "Thank yous" as the group comes to him and give their condolences to his father's death.

The group quickly bonds with the Juniors.

-

Lastly, EXO arrived later that morning, and wow does everyone who knows how to shoot a gun know each other? Taeyong watches with bemusement as Johnny got up from next to him, and practically ran over to a tall, handsome man, hugging him. It's all smiles and laughs between the two men, and Taeyong has never felt shorter in his life watching them.

Another man, who Taeyong is sure must be the leader, shakes hands with Doyoung, Jinyoung and Jisoo with a dimpled, warm smile. The Juniors flock around another extremely handsome member of EXO, hearts in their eyes as they check out the man's many knives he has on him.

Once everyone is calmer, Doyoung introduces the group. Taeyong feels a little relieved that the man Johnny hugged was Oh Sehun and he was married to the leader. Mr. Knives turns out to be Kim Jongin, and Taeyong can already see a fan club forming around him. EXO's only international member is Yixing Zhang, who's already getting friendly with Kun.

When Johnny joins him again, whispering, "I'll introduce you to Sehun later", Taeyong smiles at him.

Taeyong looks around at the people around him, and feels that blossom of hope in his chest again.

-

Taeyong meets Oh Sehun at dinner that evening. A big spread is made to welcome the new arrivals, and it warms Taeyong's heart to see the groups mingling with with NCT members.

Johnny and Taeyong arrive just behind Yuta and Sicheng, and the taller man immediately ushers them over to where Sehun is lovingly feeding a piece of meat to Kim Junmyeon.

"Johnny" Sehun says when he sees them, nodding his head as the two men sit across from him and Junmyeon. The rest of the table consisted of a few other EXO members, who don't pay them any real attention. Sehun's eyes turn to Taeyong, and there's the usual recognition in them, but also something that the other man is hiding well, "Lee Taeyong"

"Hello" Taeyong says awkwardly, wishing they had sat somewhere else. Sehun wasn't necessarily a threat, especially not with how he was looking at his husband a few seconds ago, but Taeyong also didn't get a warm, friendly vibe from him.

Johnny unnecessarily introduces them, and the Junmyeon shakes his hand warmly, before Taeyong and Sehun briefly do the same.

"Johnny told me a lot about you" Sehun says, his eyes not leaving Taeyong, who raises a brow.

"Funny, I've not heard anything about you" Taeyong replies blandly, and Johnny chokes on his water, "How do you two know each other?"

"Strip club" Sehun says and this time Junmyeon chokes, and Taeyong's eyes widen. What?!, "About four years ago. Poor Johnny was forced to go to the strip club about a month after he entered the military, mostly because he was such a sad bastard all the time. I was a friend of a friend, and we were introduced. Since then we've been friends"

Taeyong turns to look at Johnny, whose face is blazing, which he is trying to hide by hunching over a bowl of noodles, "Interesting"

"I didn't want to go" Johnny eventually says, finally catching Taeyong's cool gaze, "But Chanyeol forced me to, and I couldn't decline. I didn't even stay long"

Taeyong narrows his gaze, but this was obviously just after they divorced, so he'll give him a pass, "Okay"

Johnny gives a visible sigh of relief, before smiling, "Do you want some soup?"

Taeyong nods, before looking at Sehun again, who was watching them with an amused look.

He sighs internally. If this was an old friend of Johnny's, then Taeyong better make an effort to be friendly, "I hope it's been a comfortable stay so far?"

The smile Sehun gives Taeyong is still small, but much more genuine. He feels like he just took a test he hadn't studied for, and just managed to pass.

"It has been, thank you" Sehun replies.

Taeyong and Johnny stay behind in the mesh room with EXO while everyone else either goes to the rec room (Ateez is firmly latched onto the Juniors, and they want to play) or going to bed. The day was exhausting and traumatizing to many of the NCT members, who still needed time to process Exodus.

Taeil went back to the war room with his Special Analyst team and the tech geniuses of other groups (including poor Yeosang who'll only join his members later on for some fun), so that they could become familiar with NCT's systems and set up.

Ten drags Kun off to bed, who seems to have bonded with Yixing. The two men spent most of the day together, laughing and talking in rapid Mandarin. And while Ten was getting along with Lisa and BamBam, he still kept an eye on his boyfriend's movements. Taeyong grins at how Ten pointedly took Kun's hand in front of Yixing before they left.

Burrowing a little deeper into Johnny's side where they were sitting on a couch together, Taeyong stays quiet and listens to the conversations around him, content to just observing right now. Today's events still left him reeling, and while he was still feeling tired, he didn’t want to be alone. He also didn't want to take Johnny away from his friends, since they were catching up, so he decides to stay and rest against the taller man.

Johnny presses a kiss against his hair, tightening his arm around Taeyong. Sehun follows the movement.

"So you two are back together?" He asks. Junmyeon gives a soft "Sehun!" but Johnny only gives him a dry look.

"None of your business, hyung" he says, and Sehun pretends to look hurt.

"When did you learn to talk back at me like that, Chicago?" Sehun asks, and Johnny grins, unrepentant.

"Yes, we are together again" Taeyong says quietly, and Johnny whips his head to the side, looking at him with large eyes.

They haven't really established what the status of their relationship was, but it felt right to say. Taeyong gives his... his Johnny a small smile, one which Johnny returns immediately, his eyes unbearably soft, "We're together" the shorter man repeats.

"Maybe I'll get to witness the wedding this time" Sehun drawls, and Junmyeon jumps up, pulling up his husband with him.

"Let's go to bed before you get yourself in trouble again" the EXO leader says in a mild tone, and Sehun follows him, throwing a cheeky, "Goodnight, love birds" over his shoulder.

Johnny lifts his hand in acknowledgement almost absentmindedly, his eyes only on Taeyong.

"Really? You want us to be official?" Johnny asks, so painfully hopeful that Taeyong can’t help but kiss him.

"Yes" Taeyong replies, dazed by the smile on Johnny's face, "Wanna date?"

Johnny's laugh echoes throughout the mesh room.

-

Taeyong and Johnny eventually get to their room, smiling and giggling against each other's lips as Johnny gently presses Taeyong against the closed door. His large gently move down Taeyong's body, relearning the shape of his ex-husband's body.

Taeyong yelps as Johnny suddenly lifts him by his hips, and quickly wraps his legs around the taller man's waist. They kiss again, their bodies pressed against each other, exploring each other's mouths. Taeyong runs his fingers up and down the back of Johnny's nap, gently tugging at his hair, while Johnny rests his hands on Taeyong's ass, squeezing it.

"Are you going to take me to bed or what?" Taeyong eventually murmurs against his lips, and Johnny pulls away to look him in the eyes. His lips are red and spit slick, and his cheeks are rosy.

Taeyong can’t help but kiss him again.

"Are you sure? We can wait" Johnny says, sounding a little reluctant, and Taeyong smiles, giving a dirty roll of his hips that makes Johnny weak in the legs.

"I love that you're being a gentleman, John, but I need you to fuck me right now" Taeyong says, shivering as Johnny's eyes visibly darkens before he lunges forward, kissing him again while walking blindly to the bed.

-

Taeyong arches his back with a sigh of contentment as Johnny kisses the shorter man's neck and shoulder, licking and nipping at his collarbones before latching his mouth onto a perky nipple.

"God, I've missed this" He moans as Johnny kisses his way down Taeyong's happy trail, pausing at his hipbones to give Taeyong a cheeky grin, parting his legs even further so that Johnny can settle between them more comfortably.

"I'm still the best you've ever had?" Johnny drawls before pressing a gentle kiss against the tender skin of Taeyong's inner thigh, who almost kicks Johnny for that cheesy line. His snort turns into a gasp as Johnny nips close to where his erection is resting, lifting his hips in the hope of finding some much needed friction.

"You're the only one I've ever had" Taeyong replies, mindless in his pleasure, and when Johnny pauses from where he was kissing around his erection, Taeyong looks down, finding Johnny looking at him with burning eyes. Taeyong then realizes what he said, and blushes.

"Really? Even after four years?" Johnny asks gruffly, and when Taeyong tries to hide his red cheeks behind his hands, Johnny gently pulls back away so that Taeyong had to look at him, "Yong?"

"You're all I've ever wanted, John" Taeyong whispers and watches Johnny visibly swallow, before he moves up again, resting on his arms before leaning down, and slowly, slowly kissing Taeyong. They kiss for a long time.

"You're all I've ever wanted, Taeyong" Johnny repeats back to him, and Taeyong inexplicably feels tears in his eyes, which Johnny kisses away.

"Make love to me, please" Taeyong says, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears and love, and Johnny nods, kissing him again.

-

When Johnny enters him slowly, slowly a few minutes later, they both sigh in contentment.

It felt like coming home again.

-

"They're gone? What do you mean they're gone?" Special Commander Choi demands, the cold fury in his voice making the rebel step back. They were in his office, the same office that rightfully belongs to the South Korean president, "How does an entire group disappear in thin air?"

"We... we aren't certain, Sir" the rebel says, wishing he hadn't been the one to give the message. His hands were trembling, clasped tightly behind his back, "It seems like NCT used the self-made bombing of their headquarters as a both a way to escape, and kill some of our men that were waiting for backup. We suspect that they might have gone underground, but with all the rubble and danger that digging in it could cause, it won't be easy to find a tunnel or getaway exit"

Choi gets up, and stands with his back to the rebel as he stares out of the window. His quiet for a long time.

"Do you know why I need NCT annihilated, Sergeant Hun?" He suddenly asks, his voice soft, almost contemplative. Sergeant Hun swallows.

"Because they are getting in our way?" He answers, sounding unsure and Choi nods, still looking up at the stars. Hun gives a silent breath of relief.

"Yes, they were in our way" he agrees, "But they were doing more than that. They were giving the Korean people hope. Do you know how dangerous hope is? It always wins over fear and confusion. And what good will a hopeful and driven country do for me if it means I don't get them to vote for me?"

This time Sergeant Hun stays quiet, his eyes on the ground as the Commander spins around, glaring a hole into his head.

"Hope is a greater weapon than a gun, Sergeant Hun. And that's what NCT represents. That's what Lee Taeyong, and Captain Kim and Commander Suh means. That hope won’t be killed until I parade their fucking dead bodies throughout the streets and show the people that their saviours are gone. So what are we going to do now?"

When Sergeant Hun realizes he needs to answer, he looks up and gives a sharp salute, "We're going to find NCT and destroy them"

"Good" Special Commander Choi says, and with a flick of his hand, he dismisses Hun, who can't get out fast enough.

-

Much later, Taeyong and Johnny lay in bed with their limbs tangled together, happy and so, so satisfied.

"You still do that thing with your tongue" Taeyong says, presses kisses against the hollow of Johnny's neck, who grins. They couldn't stop touching each other, their lips wanting to keep tasting skin.

Now that they've made love for the first time in years, it felt like they couldn't stop.

"I do. And you still love it" Johnny drawls, shifting so that Taeyong was lying on top of him. Their bodies slide together, and Taeyong smirks, grinding his hips against Johnny's cock, which was hardening again. Johnny retaliates by placing his hands on Taeyong's ass, spreading his cheeks apart, making the shorter man gasp as cool air hits his exposed, loose hole.

They kiss, their lips already sore from all the light nipping and tugging. Taeyong moans as Johnny easily pushes a finger into him, lazily fucking him with it. Their erections brush against each other, making both men gasp.

Taeyong's hips start stuttering soon, and Johnny smiles, moving his lips to the younger man's ear, nibbling on the lobe.

"I love you, Lee Taeyong" He murmurs, croaking his finger so it brushes against Taeyong's prostate, who comes with a sob.

-

"Do you think you could ever get married again?" Johnny asks after a few minutes of silence. They finally managed to get up long enough to shower, and change the bedsheet. Taeyong lifts his head, looking at Johnny with surprise.

"Why are you asking?" Taeyong replies and Johnny shrugs, playing with Taeyong's fingers.

"It's just something I've been thinking about today" he says, going for nonchalance, and Taeyong looks at him for a long time.

"Don’t ask me that unless you're being serious, John" he says, and Johnny widens his eyes, Taeyong's serious voice taking him by surprise. He then cups Taeyong's face, leaning in to kiss him.

"I'd never bring up something like this so lightly" Johnny says, and Taeyong nods, before giving the smallest of smiles.

"Ask me again after we win this war" he says, and Johnny feels his heart swell. Taeyong rests his head on his chest again, while Johnny gently crushes the shorter man against him.

-

A week goes by, filled with strategy meetings and training for the upcoming war. The four groups turn out to be a great asset to this war, as they bring with their experiences in combat, their tech skills and more information on the outside world. The international members of BP, EXO and GOT7 all spoke about the support other countries have for NCT, and if it truly comes down to it, more support will be given. Covertly, of course.

For now, however, with all the international laws and bureaucracy that comes with outside interference within a country's inner dispute, NCT are on their own. Luckily, they have the best people helping them.

Gongmyung, Johnny, Jaehyun, Yuta, Lisa, Joy, Sehun, Kai, Seonghwa, Yeosang, Jinyoung and Jackson get pulled into being the faces of a series of short films made to post online, showing both the Korean people and the Movement that NCT was ready to fight.

Doyoung hand-picked this select group for this brief propaganda campaign, "The world loves hot people that can shoot a gun, and are fighting the good fight" he said simply as he had a meeting with the group.

These films were all less than 10 minutes long, showing the chosen group training together at shooting rings, preparing their chosen weapons and having brief strategy meetings. These videos introduces NCT had allies that would fight alongside them. If the Movement thought that NCT was making their lives difficult, then they had no chance against EXO, Ateez, BP and GOT7 working with them.

With Kun and Jungwoo pulled out of the Movement, they were going in blind with little inside information on what the rebels were doing. It grated at Doyoung that he didn’t have that advantage anymore, especially since the Movement tightened their online security, making any hacking into their files and security cams almost impossible for Taeil and his team.

In the end it would come down to the physical fight between the groups. By the end, the fate of Korea would be determined by who stands victorious.

-

The day finally comes when NCT and their allies launch the first massive attack against the Movement.

Everyone gathers around in the mesh room as the first squad prepares to leave, consisting of Captain Kim, his men, and a few other members from different groups.

Johnny was included in this group.

"This is guerilla warfare, soldiers!" Doyoung says, standing at the front as he addresses them all. His brother was next to him, and they strike an impressive image, "Squad One will infiltrate the military today, and annihilate Colonel Song and his men. Only those involved in the alliance with the rebels will be taken out. This is a kill strike, NeoCity. Captain Kim and his men will then stay behind to keep control until further orders are given. Taking out the Movement's strongest allies will give us a strong advantage later on.

"Squad Two in the second wave will destroy all the Movement's known hidden bases and supply hideouts over the next week, so that their food, weapons and safety zones get weakened"

Squad Two, made up mostly of Ateez, EXO and senior NCT members all salute when Doyoung nods at them.

"Finally, we'll target the Presidential home last. The rebels get taken care, and we take Choi and his inner circle in alive, who'll get handed over to Captain Kim where they will be placed into military custody. Once the Korean people have selected the new President in the new election, the Movement will answer for their crimes. These are my orders, soldiers. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!" Everyone says in unison.

Johnny, standing next to Taeyong at the front, takes his boyfriend's hand. The taller man would be leaving within the next hour.

Doyoung catches his eye, and gives him a nod. Taeyong returns the gesture. All the pain and suffering of his people, and his parents' death. It will all be avenged.

Doyoung focuses on the crowd again.

"Let's get started"

-

Taeyong and Johnny remain behind in the mesh room while everyone leaves, Squad One heading to the weapons room for further instructions.

"I'll give you a few minutes" Gongmyung says, noticing that the two men were lingering. With a final smile, he closes the doors.

Taeyong immediately pulls Johnny towards him, throwing his arms around the taller man. Johnny sighs against his hair, his arms tight around Taeyong's waist, neither of them saying anything.

"We're going to win, Yong" Johnny finally murmurs, pressing a kiss against Taeyong's forehead, who forces himself to nod. The soldier pulls back to look the love of his life in the eyes, "It'll only be 2 to 3 weeks. As soon as the Presidential house is secure, and Choi is arrested, this will all be over"

"You're coming back to me" Taeyong says fiercely, and Johnny nods. It didn't feel like enough, "Promise me"

Johnny gently cups Taeyong's face, before giving him a long, lingering kiss. He then takes a string out of his pocket, holding Taeyong's left hand between his own.

Taeyong watches with a pounding heart and wide eyes as Johnny wraps the string around his ring finger, tying it into a small bow. Johnny then presses his lips against the makeshift ring, before kissing Taeyong on the lips again.

"I promise" he says gently, wiping away Taeyong's tears.

Taeyong walks with him to the weapons room, and gives him one last kiss.

"I expect a nicer ring the next time I see you" he says, his cheeks still wet with tears, savouring Johnny's laughter. He presses his hand over Johnny's heart, "I love you so much, John"

"I love you too, Yong. I’ll see you soon" Johnny says, and with a last smile, he enters the room.

Taeyong stares at the door for a few more seconds, wiping away the last of his tears. He takes a deep breath and turns in the direction of the war room.

He still had his responsibilities.

They will win this war.

-

**Author's Note:**

> All comments and kudos are appreciated :)
> 
> Come chat to me on social media!
> 
> Twitter: Malikah_Meyer


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